Trivium
by Nixs11
Summary: My re-imagining starting Season 7, episode 15, Bonnie is fighting for her life and Damon is woken from desiccating. Can the besties get back on track. With the Mystic Falls gang in tow, they will have to fight Rayna, The Armory, and even some friends, to get their happiness. Is some kind of permanency possible for Bonnie? Slow burn to Bamon.
1. Prologue

Let me says now I'm totally for Bonnie & Bamon. When season 7 started, I was stoked till the episodes after 15 showed how disappointingly bad it would be. Then Season 8... let's not talk about that or acknowledge it. So I was seething and decided to fix it. It's my first story, but I'm going to try. Liberties taken and anything after S07E15, never happened. There will be mistkes.

I do not own any Vampire Diaries properties, nor do I make any money off the story.

 **Prologue**

Stagnant silence has enveloped Nori's tomb for several centuries, resulting in minimum involvement in the surrounding world. Her cemented braids drapes in front of her face, emitting a small view, but enough to give her a warning if needed. Occasionally her sister comes by to prickle in her ear hoping for a twitch. Esha tells her of new prophecies, a seer who insinuates 'another' will rise from the dead sea very soon or was it last month? Perhaps they would get to their little sister first, side stepping the tribulations plaguing these malfunctioning reunions. Those afflictions had taken its toll. Hence, Nori parked herself in a lone sanctuary she owns, upon some ley lines, became placid and boycotted life. As well as dull pulses intruding against her psych were also overlooked, returning her mind towards nothing.

"You must wake... WAKE UP... Can't you feel it? She is emerging... Oh, come now... Wake up, WAKE UP!" Esha's exacerbated stomps demands a response. Nori hopes to ignore her and have this irritant pass, but the pulse nudges her again. It's a distinct, like when Esha emerged, but its off. "I know you felt that. Our sister needs us Nori." She can hear the desperation in Esha's voice as she brings her mind to the present, her eyes ease open, focusing on her glowing prancing sister before her. She feels the cracks spread across the lifespans of dirt caked on her skin, releasing her from voluntary entombment. She exhales the stale air of yesterdays, inhaling crisp air of the night? The lantern confirms the general time it was. Esha is kissing her cold cheeks as happy tears cling to her lashes.

"Miss you... I know you needed to do this…" Esha's voice trails off, not wanting to put her sister off, "I feel her strongly. We need to commune about this one. She is going off like a faulty beacon, so I figure if we can't get a good track on her, whoever else is tracking this, must be having a hell of a time too." Her glossy raven hair twirls about her in a mini celebration against the odds. She clasps her hands-on Nori's dusty cheeks, swiping at the grime that coats her. "Just try this with me and I'll... "she bites her lip knowing she has nothing to offer that would make herself relent. She will always search for the last one. "It's different from the others. Why does this one tickle the back of my mind, to turn around and see her? I know we have gone down this path a several times, all ending badly, but I can feel that she needs us. So, I'm here for your help. Her name sits at the tip of my tongue, begging to be spoken. Let's speak it together Nori." Esha whispers this blessing to sister, hoping maybe she will be swayed, as she finishes with a small smile.

"Esha..." Nori sighs, for such a small smile, her sister's beams brightly, lighting her guilt seated deep in the back. She can't fault her. It all lies with her, as big sister, to head this family, since the beginning till forever. In the face of such a burden, it can overwhelm you, taking you away from the original path. Still it is no excuse, and with that the time to stew evaporates. "I'm sorry you think you must beg me. Of course, I will help." Her arm creaks up towards Esha. As she is pulled up from her knees, dirt and dust rain down. Esha is tugging at her with one hand and trying to grab for the lantern with the other, turning to face the exit.

"I have a place we can go nearby." Esha is sputtering with excitement and relief. It takes a series of persistent tugs in the opposite direction to get her to focus on her just un-petrified sister. She stops, wondering what the holdup could be. She just wants to go.

"Come.", her sister hisses. Middle sister knows better than not to follow. She is lead to the center of the next room. There is a circle depression in the middle of floor. Nori croaks an incantation making the top disappear, revealing the ley lines underneath. Her sister holds her hand out, waiting for her to take it so they may start. Esha is amused. Her sister may have her issues but she prepares better than Egyptian for the dead or believers of the apocalypse. She grabbed her sister's hand and they start chanting. With the ley lines, it was much easier to access the spiritual plan. Awhile back the Other Side had been destroyed. The little info Esha found out was the anchor had been overwhelmed and the Other Side destroyed by travelers, yet the anchor lived. This mystery and others should unravel much easier with Nori assisting; not much had made sense.

As the air crackled and hummed, they lifted their heads up. Mouths gaped towards the sky waiting for the spirits to give it sound. Their backs seized, elevating them on their toes with arms stretched to the sky, eyes glaze over, they see a beautiful brown girl with sad emerald eyes. Her loyal golden heart beats erratically, they could feel the fissure within. A darkness trying to nestle in, priming the final strike to end her. The tone starts at the pit of their stomachs, bubbling up their throats, wailing into plea.

"Bonnie!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Bonnie runs, throwing spells over her shoulder through the network of alleyways. Whomever is giving chase has elevated their efforts to capture her, but alas its not enough. The druid pair she had met up with were more than capable of handling themselves in this fracas. She hooks into a garbage bin at the next corner. Taking in a soothing breath to calm her heart, she recites a spell to blend into the darkness of the alley, while hovering over the bin. It's the Armory personnel that passes beneath her. She gives it a minute, drops to the ground, then sprints into the opposing shadowy alley to disappear. Hopping over the fence at the end, she melds into the available sidewalk traffic. She can see a subway entry up ahead. Checking behind her one more time, she dips down the stairs, pays the fare and catches a ride on the train.

The shaking lulls her into meditation. She would have contacted Enzo before the exchange, but it was time sensitive. He would scold her on her lone wolf tactics. She would remind him she's a Bennett witch, forced to care for herself early in life. A short childhood spent mostly alone, made permanent connections rare. After Damon casted her aside, she got depressed. She was devastated he had pick Elena over her, but this was crueler this time. It was like he couldn't wait for her to… time with her was not as valuable as being with Elena. The stinging was there behind everything; time had made it manageable. She had crawled within herself, making Caroline take care of three babies instead of two. Thank god Caroline supported her through her crisis, to remind her of the beauty, despite the angst. The unwavering cheerleader was a lifeline to sanity, with her daughters, Lizzie and Josie, adding much needed joy. They had given her a chance to see that their introduction to magic would be less dire than hers. Well, she was trying to; Ric was heading up a passive resistance. He had become burnt out with the supernatural, becoming a 'limited' member of the very group that was hunting her. Caroline assured her of the strategic advantages of having him close to the Armory. It was a small early alert system, that was better than nothing. Bonnie had some doubts, but never told her friend, hoping her trust was well placed. After all, her best friend had let her amble in a Muskoka chair in her backyard, viewing the monotonous Dallas landscape, for a month and a half.

Those days were spent staring off into the distance, replaying how she got to this point yet again, with the nights dreaming on repeat. For almost two months, the dream generally stayed the same. A raining storm cloud above her head, with Damon holding an umbrella. Goddess, she hated him, but every night he was there with that fucking umbrella. As if that would make up for ditching her. But in the dreamscape, she learned to live with it. Thou the rejection upon her heart never fully healed, with dream Damon's help, she endured. Damn him. After those two months, she booked her first trip to Salem, with Damon mocking her itinerary to see where witches died and badly; Emo much? She investigated the Bennett line for more family and sought tutelage. He declares not to lose hope, they are out there and be weary of the 'overly helpful' teachers. Plus, Lucy still lives; a miracle considering how the woman roams into trouble at times. Bonnie has also mastered the art of fake ids, cause announcing oneself as a Bennett was a quick way to get dead. Damon is tickled by her foray into the criminal element, wondering when she's getting a tat. And where? She worked on her magic; technically Qetsiyah magic, tempering it with her psyche. She was stronger, but it was still got dicey when she pushed it beyond her limit. So, he takes her mind off misadventures, painting and blowing her toes, one by one. Nice warm fuzzies spread forth, making her shiver back to her original focus. Her abilities now were complemented with nimble potion making, when she has the time to mix. She was figuring out her own path, but still it was tethered to another's that impede her own.

She returned to Dallas often, but Mystic Falls was barely if possible. It only held ache, potential debilitating ache. She would have a quick bite at the bar with Matt and catch up on superficial things, as Matt had further rutted himself in his disdain of the supernatural. He had become worse after Penny's death. The warmth and understanding that shone in his blue eyes had dimmed. She was not sure why she was doing this to herself. She could not be who she was in front of one of her oldest friends. It bugged her, but it was an hour and half routine or less. She tried, as they both ignored the elephant in the room. The one she found out just over two years ago, when the Armory started hunting her. Seven months ago, she had sneaked back into town to got to the library, hoping not to alert anyone. She had wagered wrong. The rare text she was raring for was denied for a game of hide and go seek, with the Armory through the stacks. Only with Enzo's help did she manage to elude the enemy, giving him an unexpected date with Bonnie, that lead to their current coupling.

He had asked for a drink, after he saved her in the library; she assumed it would be at the bar. She had ended up at a cozy booth in a candle lit restaurant. He plied her with proses of her beauty and she let him brush his lips over her ear. It was nice to hear platitudes with no strings. All he ever wanted was to belong. And he was asking to belong to Bonnie and that appealed to her on so many levels. To be first, to be the only one was what she wanted, so why not try with Enzo? Enzo's creepy love for Lily was offset by his fierce loyalty. She was not a teenage girl in love, merrily dreaming of encompassing hearts. She was a grown woman looking to partner up, and it could be inexact, with room to grow. But when they settled down, when it got slow, would they still be okay? How much of the charge and urgency fueled them? Did it really matter if she was not fully satisfied? Time was short for her, and couldn't find a reason to deny herself. It wasn't perfect but no coupling was. Dating Enzo on the current erratic path spiked with fleeting danger for the last six months, had been fast paced indulgence. Rayna, joining in the fray only added to the frenetic tension of their relationship.

Bonnie plays with the ring on her index that he had given her a couple months ago. Nothing symbolic just a little old ring that he thought she would like. She felt nothing but old cold steel, unusual for a ring this aged, but it did happen. He wanted her to know he was serious. She did her best to temper his adulation, trying to tie him to the fast pace realities of now. She felt bad about the little deception she kept up to Enzo in relation to Damon, but she hoped the dreams would dissipate when they got together; that hoped had been dashed when Damon spelled out the downfalls of the current pairing. She didn't want to make blind promises and empty declarations. Bonnie believe Enzo deserved a chance at open and genuine affair, she didn't want to short change him with an unbeknownst threesome. She wanted to see if what she has with him can lead to more, but Damon was there every night, now questioning her logic. Trying to get her to stop running blindly. Telling her to question the wanker. He assures her he can help, that he will protect her. But, he was asleep, waiting on Elena, empty reprieves held up by broken promises.

These new declarations had made the dream world tempestuous of late, hollowing out the progress that had been made. Bonnie was close to casting a spell to stop these endless interactions with Damon. She scolded herself, as she should have casted it sooner; she told no one of these dreams, feeling foolish enough for hanging on for this long. Maybe she was coming to an end, reaching closure. She couldn't deny they had touched on some of the fears that propelled them away from each other, yet other things were left unsaid that would fester. And that was better then admitting that between them there might be more. Maybe, once the Armory and Rayna was behind her she, maybe with Enzo by her side, Damon would be left in her memory of 1994. But when she slept, there he was hanging around, unnervingly close, suggesting 'The Bodyguard' to watch. She misses him but she will never tell him this. He is not hers and she has someone else. So why is it always back to him? Smirking in her dream, Damon's voice promises hellfire for those who dare touch what's his.

"Don't worry, lil bird." he coos. She chastises herself because she is still gives him credence.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

'Lil bird?'

Not the first words Stefan expect to hear from Damon as he squeezes more blood into his parched mouth, his grey skin slowly morphs, from Carrara to human pink in minutes. Damon milks the last of the blood from the bag before he moves it away, peering into Stefan's exhausted green eyes. However, there was no time for pleasantries. Stefan quickly checks behind him before he wretches his brother out of his coffin.

"Come on Damon. We must go. Rayna is still hunting me." He notes the panic in Damon's eyes. "Don't worry; thanks to the salve I have on, she has a hard time pinpointing me. Come on"

The confusion of sleep is hastily lifts from Damon as they get into the car. There is still no appearance of Elena, but she is not the one tormenting him. Steely determination settles him onto his next course of action.

"Just tell me... what happened to her?" Damon mumbles.

"Elena is..." Stephan starts but is cut off by Damon bellowing, "NO!"

Its hushed for second before Damon whispers, "Bonnie… what happened to Bonnie?"

Stephan can hear the devastating pain in his voice. He looks at his brother's tightly shut eyes, awaiting the news of Bonnie's demise. He could not judge as the relations between himself and Bonnie was sparse. He had he own guilt because of his treatment of Bonnie over the years. He wonders how much he really understood the relationship between the witch and his brother. He had suspicions when his brother came back from the Bennett prison world alone and ruined. Damon had always done what was needed, despite it being deemed unpopular. But during Bonnie's lone imprisonment, he had scraped against the line of objectivity, barely keeping his temper in check, trying to get her back. What He thought he knew about his brother's motivation was being put into some serious doubt. It implied Damon's mind was focusing solely on Bonnie and there it would stay. He would have to wait till later, when Damon was more palpable to the suggestion that his priorities may have changed. So for now, Stefan fills him in.

"Bonnie needs your help. We both do. Rayna's mar..." Damon's hand grips his arm tightly as he tries to steer the car out of New York. He looks over to see his brother sneering, as he spits, "What happened to her?"

"Bonnie is alive. The Armory is after her and so is Rayna. Caroline got in contact with me after a very uncomfortable meeting with Rayna; She threatened the twins to get Bonnie. Care would not have spoken to me if wasn't all their lives on the line. She wants me to fix this before Bonnie sacrifices herself. I know you believe what you did was…" Stefan sighs and starts again. "Bonnie is not gonna have sixty years. More like three years and a bit.' He could hear Damon growling under his breath.

"That's not the deal for my BonBon. She'll be surprised I'm here, but I can get back to drying out once everyone bugging her is dead." A faint smile graces his face as thoughts of being in Bonnie's arms again dances in his head. Stefan clears his throat priming to tell the next part, that would no doubt hurt his brother. Damon had a knack for being obsessive with his devotion. But the intent doesn't equate to the impact rendered, making his latest stunt betray as selfish, not noble.

"Damon, from what I hear, Bonnie was really hurt after you left. Caroline laughed at the idea that a letter was going to smooth things over. You abandoned her Damon. Please be realistic. She will not be happy to see you." He hesitates to bring up the last bit of news, but rushes forth. "She's dating Enzo."

It's eerily quiet as Damon takes in the last bit of information. He fancied Bonnie would read the letter, understanding the depth of his love for her. She was his best friend and deserves the best life after everything she survived. He would not be the one to help end her life. It was all very saintly except for the little voice, that squeaks 'coward' intermittently. There was more to it, but his heart couldn't decipher its own secret. He has enjoyed their dinners, movie nights and Sunday's farmers market outings, the joyous wonder lite in her eyes was breathtaking. He was fond of evenings in front of their fire, as she endlessly twirls a strand of hair while she studied grimoires or skims a book he had picked out for her. He loved fighting by her side cause really, she was the only one he could count on when trouble came to town. Yet the last fight with wolf cub Tyler left him gutted, as it had left Bonnie seriously injured in the hospital without access to her magic or any others. Healing on the prayers of a vampire was not something he was partial to. He decided then, she did not be involved in another Salvatore production of malfeasance. He knew her heart, she would protect him till her last dying breath which he didn't want for her. His list of sins was long, so he had to save her from herself.

The first day he laid in the coffin he was confident in his decision. Bonnie would be safe and he would see Elena when he woke, even if the thought left a bitter taste. When his veins started to dry up later in the week, visions of Bonnie started plagued his mind. The feeling of unparalleled sadness gave way to a continuous dream, starting with a grey storm cloud. Bonnie is directly underneath it, begin soaked by torrential rains. She doesn't move; she just sits there defeated and alone in the onslaught. He ambles forward, offering her an umbrella. She just cried some more. He knows he has hurt her, never meaning to, but she's hurt by him again. He would then stand beside her and her somber rain cloud, sheltering her with the umbrella as best he could. Eventually, the rain started to lessen, the cloud went away, and they started new adventures. She would never stray too far from America, no matter how he tempted her with tales of other continents. In his dream, he can be himself with Bonnie, that hardly works for most of the population. She likes him and the broken parts of his soul, and sees no need for a makeover. She will try to tweek him once and awhile, for the betterment of mankind, but that's just the do-gooder in her and he doesn't mind at all. He sees Bonnie Bennett to the core and that's the part that causes him pause. He loves Elena and he did a lot to get her to the point of shitting all over the brother's life. So, with this much adoration, there couldn't be another. But not once did Elena came to fruition in the dream, and he didn't really concentrate on that aspect too much. It was just a dream, wasn't it? The travels, the moments, Enzo and Rayna? Yeah, he knew about Rayna and the Armory too, but this was all part of an over active imagination. How real could it have been? He needs to get to Bonnie and figure this out. And of course, he needs to save her.

"Well stop driving like a granny and go." Damon commands. Stefan see the shift and wonder if Damon realizes what he has done, as no inquiry of Elena is ever pursued.

* * *

They are going to meet up with Caroline. She's alone at the temporary dwelling, outside of Mystic Falls. From what Damon pieces together, his brother has reinstated the shunning by Caroline. His brows have been lost in his hairline for some time now. In the last couple of hours, he has taken up fidgeting.

"So how badly did you fuck up?" Damon pop the p, stretching his cracking body further. Stephan does not want to talk about it, but it's better he knows the angst they will be walking into.

"You mean after you left me with a dear john note? Well, Matt threatened to expose me unless I got out of town. So, I ran with Valerie. Caroline has the girls and loving Alaric. I didn't say goodbye." he whispers this last part. He whips his head to his brother as he hears him chuckle.

"I have been constantly looking over my shoulder, I have Caroline's utter disdain and this scar. And you laugh?"

"You left her again?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course, I did!" Stefan roars. "What? Was I going to bring them all? How would that work? The twins would of take the first watch? "

"Them? Wow, you must be in love." Damon chuckles again.

"Of course, I love her. I thought I could be okay with her and the girls having a life with Alaric. Without me. It turns out I can't dictate the terms of my heart. But I want her happy and safe."

"I don't understand why you didn't talk to her. At least I left a letter."

"And you think it was enough?"

"I did something."

"So, did I."

"Wait, where's Valarie? I thought she would be loving your belated honeymoon."

"Dead. The Armory kidnapped her after recapturing Rayna. During Rayna's breakout months later, she died. Something's change. They all want..."

"Bonnie."

Damon was felt dumber by the minute. The very thing he had aspired to avoid was coming to pass faster than he anticipated. He really thought once he was out of the picture she would be okay, safer.

"Enzo is hiding her. And I doubt you'll her be 'buddy, buddy' for a while. Caroline says she's happy. They both were. And this", Stefan gesturing between them, "will make them both definitively unhappy. But you are the best option I've got."

So, Bonnie had an aneurysm, ended up dating Enzo. Enzo? Damon's fangs scrape his lower lip threatening blood. Enzo? His dreams have touched on this maddening concept as dreams often do. Except it was real in this plain and he would have to fix that. Being a newly minted relationship, it would make it easier to be dismantle. He was now putting a lot of stock in what he glimpsed in those visions, that her heart was not in it. Adrenaline could only fuel an affair for so long before the flaws start to spring up. His BonBon needs more than this superficial fluff that she was low barring for. And he knew he was the cause in this shift of confidence, giving way to the British impostor. So even if he got him flambé he would help build her back up. But of course, he could only be defensive with Stefan.

"I thought I made myself clear about my wake-up call." spat Damon.

"Oh, you were clear. And I decided you don't get to check out to play sleeping beauty. Anyway, what about Bonnie?"

Damon cringes. Losing her would hollow out something he never he knew he had; humanity. Damn the witch. His dream state in desiccation had been fraught with her from the start. Besides the rain cloud, there was a variety of reveries haunting him. He and Bonnie enjoyed vampcakes, in flannel over coffee in the new places she visited in his musings. It had built towards more serious wants and needs, staring into her into her emerald pools, over a glass bourbon. The possibilities wet the tip of his tongue, blistering a need that shook him even in deep sleep. With waking he realizes how thirsty he was, but blood would not sate him. He would find and save her. Follow her home in servitude, like he did with the umbrella, till she softens because at the heart of it all, it was them. He had form a bond with the witch that would be the end of him. At this point, Stefan chimes up again.

"She wants Caroline to go into hiding with Alaric and the girls. She wants to protect those she loves. You know when she's runs out of good choices, she will impart her death as the final solution. Especially with the girls.", Stefan emphasizes. " So, we can keep debating or fix this for the women we love."

Damon quirks an eyebrow in protest but stops short of saying anything. He knows its the right play. Stefan lets out a breath he has been holding since he knows his brother is always spoiling for a fight, but is happily surprised when he receives an acceptance nod. He steps on the gas, speeding in the direction of the unknown, cementing that his last good act in this life is for unrequited love.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Bonnie slinks into her ratty motel room. Tired, sticky and in need of a serious refresh, she ruminates on what's left to do. She can't blame anyone except herself, for her obsessive duty as a magical protector. Her Grams, once protector of the town of Mystic Falls, died because of her inexperience. From then she tries to make amends for her unending violations. Yet it never hints at being enough. What else could explain the disturbing violence pummeling her reality. Something or someone wants her gone permanently. And it's not like she didn't try hard at dying. Whispers of awe regarding the reappearing witch, with salivating power, gave her no elation. She could feel the true finality nearing, inscribing her with one message: You are nothing. So the furtherance of her happiness, instead of her friends, left her feeling less hollow. She was travelling and doing a lot of self reflection, seeking the nuisances of her grey matter. That's why her pairing to Enzo was causing her to waver of late. And she sucks at picking a suitable partner.

Bonnie is trying to make things with Enzo work. He wants to be with her always, wants to know every detail. And she couldn't echo the traits he was looking for. What would happen when the distractions were gone? Bonnie wants less chaos, but not to necessarily slow down. Go to Paris or even a year sojourn through Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo and all the hidden bits between. She was stuck here because it was easier to manage her current battle on home ground. Enzo saw it as an opportunity for them to try nesting. He wants to set her up in a cozy house, with a garden in the back and there she would stay safe and tucked away. He would come home at the end of the day, professing 'Honey, I'm home'. He excuses his narrow mindedness because he has wisdom of age. Hence, the distance between them of late. Bonnie tugs at the cool ring upon her index, as the memory of its gifting surfaces.

 _A cabin crafted in a cavity under Blood Mountain along the Appalachian trail, Enzo strums a guitar. Wine and a little downtime. He admonishes she deserves this, as he tongues and kisses her bottom lip. Passionate about her existence, he wants her to know he's genuine. Bonnie is moved by his concern and investment in her, as she's by the hardness in his crotch she's grinding against. Her hips stop rotating, as she clearly states her intentions, to be light and flirty. She will be still and not relieve herself of anymore clothing till he acknowledges this pact. When he finally nods his head in agreement, she slips off her camisole, presenting him with erect nipples for play. He grasps a breast in each hand, pressing them together so both nipples could be suckled into his mouth. She arches her back in acceptance of his lavish offerings. She wants to be cherished, but what he's offering reeks of gilded cage at times. She needs to be free. However, for the time being, she relents to more lustful urges, as Enzo's finger lazily traces her lower lips. As her lacy bottoms hit the floor, she tries to assure herself Enzo will be reasonable. Later in the afterglow of her climax, Enzo had been nibbling on her fingers. She takes no notice till she had pulls back her tickled hand, and views a ring. She looks at Enzo, questioning the intent. He indicates it's a trinket, on her index and she may like. She was suspicious but thanks him in lieu of being rude. No alarms bells go off. The ring was a token of affection and nothing more._

Enzo's bubble wrapping intentions could be jarring, but it's an essential difference. Most people and supernaturals expect her to save the day and the cost to her rarely discussed. Enzo, for whatever his faults, had taken an active role in her survival and making her happier. But his doubts about how she holds her own is overshadowing any of his virtues. He has corrections of late, coupled with opinions and suggestions, bordering on telling her essentially what's best for her. He's making her anxious, hence, she was calling him when necessary, not second before. Bonnie is no damsel. She owns her shitty choices, as shown by her enormous burdens. She also knows those sacrifices made her a wiser witch. She has reclaimed her magic more than once and manipulate Expressionism. When she defeated the Bennett prison, it was all by herself. No one had postponed days, weeks or months to rescue her. No one. Except...

Damon! Argh! An asshole in one form or another since tearing out her throat seven years ago, their alliance was uneasy. Then Silas entered their lives, proceeding to change everything between them. She still had gaps from the time on the island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, and before with Shane. There's a hug with Damon, on the island, she couldn't recall, but she trusts the feeling that remains there. Leading to Nineteen ninety-four sealing their bond to the potent entanglement it is, was... till he left. She thought she had all the time in the world with Damon, as ridiculous as it sounds for sixty years. She knew Lily, the heretic family, and Rayna had been pushing Damon's patient, but her slights at death endlessly teasing of Elena's awakening had proven to be too much. He left her, with a letter no less. The envelope remains tucked into her grimoire, a reminder she's forsaken. However, when she sleeps, her subconscious betrays her and lets him into her reveries.

Bonnie would pull up fragments and linger in the faint recollection of the island. She could only go so far in her memory of her time there, till Damon joins her, making the image unblurr. They would hold each other, watching of the roaring black sea, as the perpetual waves crashes onto the shore. He braces her against the whipping wind of the coast, making sure she's not swept away in the frenzy. It's unbearable at times to be so intimate with Damon, as hardly a word is spoken, every look and touch visceral. He is colder than any of the elements around them but his touch is the only thing keeping her warm. She sinks further into him, embracing the guilt. She couldn't recognize how deep her love for him went before uncertainty overwhelms her. Was her fantasy a weakness? Possibly, but it worked until it didn't.

And that's where things with Enzo were beginning to hit a wall. He wants a formal pledge to their hook-up, but she not aligned to his path. She can't even discuss dream Damon or other secrets she retains. Enzo was kept on the outside on instinct, but it's time to investigate how his status didn't change even when dating. She felt him trying pin her to one path. All she saw was alternatives. She wasn't ready for the next level or step in Enzo's vision. She would hate to hurt him, but relationships should not be about desperation. It was nice to be coupled, but fear of missing out could not be the motivator. She had to be free even if it was going to be alone.

* * *

A missed the chance to kill the druid pair, who likely got to Bonnie, had Enzo seething. She didn't need the interferences. It may sound presumptuous, but he was doing this for her own good. He started to fall in love with her when she looped off his hand. He had sat there with a partial hard-on, wondering how sadistic he had become. It was a hard fought two-and-a-half-year battle to get with Bonnie Bennett. She was a lonely temptress, who didn't fathom the rogue to tame her was him. There had only been failures on his quest for inclusion. Enzo's unrequited love for Lily was proof of his ill-advised pursuits. With Bonnie, there was an opportunity to correct his misdirection and steer himself to profoundly more. As his new beacon to all he craves, Bonnie would be part of his set, by his side, his happy loving wife.

Regrettably, Bonnie is slow playing it of late. She could be safe at his side, being worshiped, but time and time again, she lands in the middle of an apocalypse. He knew she was solemn about her heart, but she didn't understand he was the solution to all the pain. They were struggling back and forth on their relationship goals. He wants to possess the cagey Ms. Bennett. That's why he gave her the family heirloom ring; he didn't tell her that, not wanting to spook her. It was nice to see it on her, warming the matching masked ring hanging on a chain, beside his cold dead heart. It belongs to a past married pair of St. Johns. Every time he saw it gleam off her index, his obsession with her deepens. He had to make sure Bonnie could receive her full reward. It was going to be tricky uniting her with the Armory.

The institution has spooked her and Rayna is an unforeseen complication. Despite all this, The Armory would be the haven Bonnie has searched for. Alex St. John had shown him the way, as current leader of The Armory. He found out she was a distant cousin on his father's side. She testified Dalton St. John had died after he conquered the land upon the Armory stronghold had been built. A great man unlike his wishy-washy brother, Enzo's father. Alex recounted how there was an ancient power held within a vault only accessible to Bennett magic, so bringing Bonnie into the St. John fold was critical.

Despite him being a vampire, Enzo could repair his family legacy and make Bonnie perfect. She was destined for exceedingly more than what she was doing. He didn't need her to be magical fix to anything. No, she would be helping to wield a great power, their centerpiece. The running, the worry would stop, and she would look to him as her knight. She just needs a chance to see things his way and he was sure he could sway her. Thanks to her friends' carelessness, he had been given an in. He wasn't manipulating her, he was guiding her since her usual allies guided her to the grave. He would make Bonnie see the truth of her reality and accept the comforts he was offering. Bonnie was going to be his.

* * *

Nori drives north towards a notion, neither sister is sure what, but the trails renders them onward. They got her name, 'Bonnie' and the first couple of letters of her last name, B, E, N. Ben? All the guessing for a last name and what's exactly is going on with this potential little sister subsides for the time, as guessing plays its course hours ago. Esha restlessness is increasing. She wants to drive but Nori was not having it. She loves Esha, but her driving had never taken, as staying between the lines proves challenging. Even Esha's sense of guidance was off because they were all unfinished puzzles. Their powers were strong, but dysfunctional, until the trio was made intergal. Part of Nori's ability intertwines in the anchoring power of the sisterhood, leaving her constantly breathless if she pushes too hard. Or worse, on rare occasions, she would not be able to pull back and Nori would fall into the darkness for a time. Esha was the key to bringing her back from the dark with less blow-back.

Esha's musicality easily connects her with mystical vibes, and her kindness is offered to anyone who was in need. Voices invades every crevice of her mind, appeasing to be heard, didn't discourage her. So, when the pragmatist Nori finally got Esha, she was shown to be a poor imitation of a human. Middle sister brought the hope of family to the light. A sister who could soften the edges made sharp by hate and disinterest. Nori was an obsessive-compulsive warrior, great in the battlefield but horrid for the rest of the life's dealings. She had been set on survival mode for centuries. It was a quarrel in the beginning to be more connected as she knew only disconnection. The deep wounds of being unlovable and the lessons of distrust, were replaced with compassion and patience, as they both learned their new roles in a sisterhood of two.

Nori knew she could be harsh in her words and her execution. That ferocity also made her love Esha with all her soul, making her confront a vulnerability she never wanted. She also finds a strength in loving Esha, she did not think was possible for one as brutal as her. But with Esha's help, Nori becomes a halfway respectable big sister, just not of late. Not taking more enjoyment in their life, had made everything a struggle for her and that's how she ended up in a tomb. Nori had neglected the practice of 'savoring the moment'. If they were to have a better chance at defeating evil and retrieve their baby sis, she needs to lighten up when she could. So, Nori turns up the tunes, harmonizing a blessing to guide them, breaking the solitude Esha has politely endured. Esha takes a breath and starts to sing along, at the top of her voice. They are singing and wailing along the ash fault, not a care in the world. Just two sisters, road tripping while haphazardly vocalizing. This is a moment and it's not bad at all.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Five minutes ago, Stefan sent a text warning Caroline of his imminent arrival. He neglects telling her that Damon is coming; he's left on the side of the road in a hoodie. Caroline may be a baby vampire, but she's not to be underestimated. She can be as vicious as some Originals. He just wants her to get into the car with as little bloodshed as possible. He starts to laugh, as he remembers how she went about reconnecting with him, a few months ago.

* * *

 _The rain forest is clogged with vines delaying his procession to see the medicine man hidden within. He spent three days soaked to bone to get to this point. He was hoping despite being a vampire, the healer would give him a chance. Most were not moved by his humble plea. He's a demon, outcast from of the world of day, and whatever time he has, he would suffer. All assure him of Rayna's resolve. No one offers possibility or hope. Before Valerie's death, he knew she was hesitating to let him know the searches were coming to a head. This was the last search they were to undertake, before she was kidnapped. Here he was flashing through vast amount of foliage, while Valerie laid dead. He had proven to be ineffective in keeping her safe, reinforcing his choice to leave Caroline as the right one._

 _Before he left town, those years ago, he checked on Care, one last time. She's parading about in the kitchen getting bottles of milk ready with military precision. Amid the busy bustle was a happy energy new life brings, even when lacking sleep. Alaric came into the kitchen, a baby girl swaddled in each arm. Jubilation of a new family together made everything brighter. Her children tilt up their gazes to their mother's dazzling smile. She coos and plays with them, as she finishes prepping. A life on the run was no place for a new mom. If he walks away from her this time, there was no return from this ceaseless disloyalty. Valerie appears beside him. With a last look at heartily humming Caroline, he turns to Valerie and says 'Let's go.'._

 _It was pointless to backtrack. Once in awhile, an errant thought of soft golden hair tickling his neck, proves to be troubling. He almost fell off a cliff lingering on the sparkle of her blue eyes. Care was hard to forget._

 _The rain retracts, fanning out to a clear night sky. He finally spies a lit cave and rushes forth. He gets to the opening, sees the protruding back bones of a decrepit man sitting on a boulder by the fire. Stefan takes a tentative step towards him, priming a salutation, and he drops like a stone. When he comes to, he's face first in the dirt. He turns his head to see two weathered feet. Looking further up, the old man leisurely smokes a pipe. As he struggles to sit up, a line of spittle and blood, from a busted lip, journeys down his chin. What the hell? How did he offend the old buzzard. He was hazy, till he heard her voice rising through fog soup sloshing about his cranium._

 _"Stefan."_

 _Caroline was calling, the longing sears him. He was not sure what's going on, except he needs to go. NOW. Before he could utter a word, the old man shakes his head no to his unvoiced question. With that, Stefan points himself to the direction of home and bolts out of the cave._

* * *

Figures Care would get a witch to spell him a face plant before getting him home. It was owed, even if Stefan had the best intentions. He could see her standing under an overhang with a small luggage bag in tow. He misses her, but doubts she'd want to hear that or he's kept tabs on her. He slows the car down and she gets in, throwing her carry-on into the back.

"Stefan." Cold, clinical and clip, not good.

"Caroline." He couldn't help the warmth oozes out while saying her name. Her one brow arches, and she's not having it. For several awkward minutes, you could hear a pin drop. Caroline breaks the standstill.

"So how are we going to save Bonnie?"

"Ah, are you okay?" What the hell was he thinking saying that? He knew he made a mistake.

"Am I okay? Well, no kids, no home, no Ric, got Rayna and Bonnie dies. I'm going with, not fine. Your Rayna problem has gotten out of hand. And... what are you doing? Why are we slowing down?" Caroline felt the beginning of a familiar tingle between them and puts a stop to it immediately. She's not going down memory lane with him. He should've been here. He needs to fix this, then disappear again.

Stefan gives up prayers for whatever gods or goddesses are listening and stops the car. Caroline is thoroughly confused. She cranes around to see who has enter the backseat in the low-slung hoodie. She whips her head back to Stefan, as he floors the gas.

"Who..." Pivoting her head to the backseat again, a familiar aroma awakens a forgotten nuisance. "You.", she hisses.

"Hey Blondie."

In two flashes, Damon sits holding a bloody nose, while Caroline hyperventilates in the front passenger seat.

"What the hell is wrong with you. I know what's wrong with you.", her eyes locking with Damon's for a moment, she points back to Stefan, "Are you really this deranged? I asked you to handle your mess, not make it bigger. And Damon you fucking asshole! I'm not doing this." She reaches for the door to find Damon has broken the handle.

"Are you kidding me right now?" .

"It's about Bonnie." Damon states while trying clean-up his face.

"No, you don't," Care roars, "You checked out. And what? Now you feel like saving the day? Let me out. Bonnie and I will figure this out." She can feel her veins stipple the surface as Damon interjects.

"Nope. Not happening. Gotta save BonBon."

"Fuck you Damon."

"If you guys could've of fix it, you would've. So, lets stop bullshitting, shall we? Stefan, your're awfully quiet."

"Care, you asked me to help you save Bonnie. Damon can save her.", Stefan softly offers.

"Are you kidding me? I just wanted you to deal with Rayna. To give Bonnie some space from that crazy bitch. Not this. I didn't ask for this Stefan."

"Caroline I heard what you said but it's not that simple. I want to help and I can't do it alone. I,"

"But why?" Damon he cuts off Stefan.

"What do you mean why?" Caroline scoffs.

"Why do they want Bonnie?" Damon enunciates.

"I don't know? She is one of the few Bennetts left. It can't be good." Caroline hates when Damon makes sense, but she was not ready to blindly fall in line.

"Wow, you guys totally fell apart without me. Don't pout. It's the 'why' we can use. How do we get it?"

"Ric has access as a member of the Armory." Stefan interjects, noting the displeasure blooming on Caroline's face.

"How did you know that?" She wonders if Stefan has surveillance on her.

"He can get close without attracting too much attention."

"Should he take the twins with him?", Care mocks.

"Caroline, we need information and he can get it without much agitation." Stefan pleads.

The dilemma is not just Stefan's alone, but she can't help blaming him for all this is coming about. The problem has evolved bring them all back together again. The brothers were making simple sense of something she herself should've of figured out ages ago. She was being a shitty friend to Bonnie. She wishes to fix the neglected friendship properly and be better. That generosity wasn't extended for either of the twits currently in the car with her.

"How about Valerie goes instead?" She wonders where the little trollop was skanking.

"She's dead."

Caroline senses there's a long story behind it, but it wouldn't be heard today. Her eye catches his hesitantly, as they wait for the other to talk. She knows he's tormented, brooding is full-time job for him. She can pick up the subtleties in his expressions. He's tired. Nope. She's not going to do this. She will not be pulled back in his vortex. She also can't look away. So, she sits and waits.

"Okaaay, so we need to get a handle on Rayna. I can do that." Damon interrupts the stretching silence between the ex-lovers.

"Wait. What about Bonnie?" Caroline quickly breaks eye contact, hoping to be aloof with Stefan as she had planned.

"What about her?" Damon asks.

"Ah, she needs to know what's going on." She knows authoring over someone's life without their input would lead to strife. Especially with Bonnie's.

"No, no she does't." Damon counters.

"I'm not lying to her." Care didn't care what Damon had in mind. Bonnie would never take his help. His abandonment of his brother and bestie, left bruises and sores still being dealt with. Care suspects there's more to his sudden desiccation, than their safety or the 'dull' wait for Elena. She'd walked into a couple of intimate home cooked dinners between him and Bonnie. Nothing had happened, but their friendship went deeper than she assumes they even surmise. That was then, and this was now. Bonnie's best interest needed to be put first. The twisted sense of duty she held got her mangled often, she's stubborn that way. Care could see no other options or plays. When Damon and Bonnie work together, things seamlessly fall into place. Oh, dear god, this was looking to be the best option.

"We gather information, then we talk to Bonnie. No decisions on her behalf, that's why you're here. To keep us honest." Damon denotes. He can see a protest about to materialize. "You know she has that lone ranger, martyr complex going on. If we do nothing, she dies." He knows Caroline sees the truth of this statement. He lays on the backseat delivering the final nail, in lyrical singsong, "What's your plan?"

Damon's smug face reflects in rear-view mirror. What a bastard. Care hates him even more. She has no plan.

"We can do this together." Stefan turns her attention back to him with this prediction.

She gazes into those hazel greens and gets taken away for a second. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Caroline lets out a sigh, "First, I want to know the plan. And if you guys screw this up, I'll have your balls."

* * *

Miles away on a strip weaving along the coast, Nori remembers her life before Esha came in. Her family from long ago was speck in a catalog of memories. She was a child when she lost most of them, left with a surly aunt who opened her innocent eyes to the truth of her future existence. She's to be part of a trio, powerful separates, more so when they become whole. A coven of sisters, decimated before they could take root in the dusk of Cleopatra. A malevolent enemy had tried to end it entirely that brisk night long ago, but a spell was placed so the sisters could reincarnate in the future.

Malevolent forces thrive on enslaving or killing witches at alarming rates. Even humans were stoked into culling imaginary dangers, burning their own women to death. No matter where one went, the witches could be found underfoot. As their Bonnie was now. She was a curious thing, crossing the unimaginable but never ravenous for power. Her early years in the arts were not kind. Baptized in the art of renewed life, Nori wonders why she's never shown before. Bonnie's pulse was desperate, more urgent then those before her. Nori hated to admit it, but she didn't want to lose her.

Esha racks her brain. Ben? Bennie? She thought she knew the answer, but it wasn't the one what she was looking for. A little spark runs off to give insight to the eluding mystery festering in her mind. She keeps circling back to Bonnie's last name. What the hell was so important about her last name? Esha proceeds to chew her bottom lip with vigor. Then it comes to her.

"Bennett, its Bennett!" Esha sings higher and higher above the tune. "Her last name is Bennett. I know a Bennett. Not Bonnie, but oh my god, get to Raleigh, North Carolina ." Esha fumbles through her bag, locates her cell and starts scrolling. She finds the number she's looking for and hits send. "Damn it Lucy, answer me!"


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ric has a happy home with Caroline. He's working as a teacher again, while she thrives as a reporter. This system normalizes life for the girls. His love life tragedies and Mystic Falls' numerous attractions from hell, had made a mundane life in Dallas enviable. He's grateful that Bonnie was stupefied for the two months she stayed, and any visits since then, casting was curbed. Dallas gave the girls limited magical interference, allowing for the girls to be average toddlers. Bonnie's life of magic had been a warning, as it didn't help that her own parents had dropped the ball. With Caroline by his side, they did what Bonnie's should have done and left Mystic Falls. It had been rocky the first year, as the first year of parenthood is, with twins no less.

Caroline also came to peace with Stefan leaving her again. But now she's settled and ready for her heart to fall in love, with him, he hoped. They've been hedging the subject for the last little while. Life is great, well it was, up until a few months ago. Finding Rayna in the breakfast nook during the night had been terrifying. The family had gone into hiding after that, unbelievably getting closer to Mystic Falls. And to Stefan. Ric may have to face the idea he's a long term rebound, as the budding relationship with Caroline feigns the stability of a house of cards. He worried when she'd first suggested contacting Stefan. And now, she's within his sphere, Ric feels worse. When Caroline finally calls, Ric's fears alleviates, only for a minute.

"I'm fine Ric. How are the girls? Tell them I love them."

"The girls miss their mommy. Are you on your way back?"

Caroline takes a deep breath and braces herself for the backlash.

"No, not yet."

"Caroline, what's going on?"

"Ric, we need to get some information."

"I thought Stefan had all the information." Ric's heart quickens at Caroline's mention of 'we'.

"It's more complicated than that now. Working together is the only way this will work for everyone."

"Now wait a minute. Our girls are in danger and living a life on the run. What are you suggesting?"

"The girls are in danger because we didn't help Bonnie."

While she and Elena had families, Bonnie had no mother, survived on rotating babysitters, as her absentee father kept her 'magical' Grams away. Bonnie was alone. There had never been backup in the traditional sense for her. Care took for granted the dependency she shared with her mother and father. And she could never repay the gift Bonnie bestowed her when she became pregnant with the girls. Bonnie was owed, but Ric saw it otherwise.

"Isn't this Stefan's fault? And Bonnie did say this was her issue alone? No Caroline, no. We have kids. We can't take on other people's problems. And this is way too dangerous. Think of the girls."

"I 'am. I'm thinking how it will look when we abandon my best friend for our benefit. Bonnie never pushed and that's on me for letting it slide so long. I need you to find out what's going on at The Armory." Ric had been consulting for a couple of years as researcher and tracker of ancient texts. Though he gave a heads up every once and awhile, Bonnie's dilemmas lagged in limbo. Care was ashamed she could lose her best friend so stupidly, so she puts her big girl panties on. "You've never really used that connection. And now it's not just about Bonnie, it involves the girls too. We need information and you can get it."

"We?"

"Ric..." she warns.

"Is this what Stefan wants?"

"Can we not do this? This is about protecting those we love and I will do whatever it takes to protect Josie, Lizzie, and Bonnie."

"I feel bad for Bonnie," Ric never got to finish his sentence.

"We owe her Ric. Is this how we repay her?" His side of the line goes silent for more than a minute.

"I'll find out what the Armory knows. Your right. They have information that may protect the girls. I just need to find someone to leave the girls with."

"Try Matt." She would have preferred Lucy Bennett, but that would only set Ric off further. She had used her to find Stefan and neglected explaining the full details of that to Ric , but she would, at the right time. "I'm sure he can come to you and the girls."

"Fine. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to have a redo with Rayna."

"What! That's crazy!"

"Our children are at risk and you want me to hide? Please stop it Ric. I'll be fine. Stefan will be in more danger than me. I promise to come home."

"Stefan, Bring Her Back To US. Caroline, please be safe. We're waiting for you. We love you."

"Love you guys too."

* * *

Stefan grips the wheel tighter as Caroline finishes her call. He tries to be inconspicuous while she speaks to Ric, but he heard it all. There's not much of an opening for him to start a conversation with her, so he deals with her scent taunting his senses. He would bring her home safe and ignore the calls of his heart. Getting rid of Rayna and saving Bonnie will make her happy. He just hopes he can do that before Rayna or the tenuous atmosphere building in the car kills him. Damon wrapped up his queries on his cell awhile ago and has been steadily tapping his foot on the middle console. Caroline has ignored Damon since they last yelled. That will only last for so long, for Damon will not be denied. Especially when it comes to Bonnie.

"Where is she?" It's met with silence. "Blondie, please don't make me ask again."

"Damon." Stefan warns.

"She wants BonBon included, so let's include her. In fact, let's go get her."

"You're getting nowhere near her. Plus, I don't know where she is. She's probably with Enzo."

"You trust Enzo?" Damon snorts.

"Bonnie trusts Enzo, I put up with him.

"ENZO!?"

"You lost the right to judge."

"I'm not fucking judging."

"You treated my best friend like shit for years, she finally lets you into her good graces, and you go off to hibernate without a word. Dealing with Bonnie for a couple of decades was not as invigorating as sleeping for Elena? And I can't believe you left her a letter."

"I was a danger to her!"

"This was suddenly news to you?""

"I did what I thought was best for witchy."

"Your best is shit Damon."

"You know what, this is between me and BonBon. However she feels, she'll tell me herself."

"Not going to happen."

"You're not Bonnie's den mother."

"You're right. I'm her friend. I'm still here."

"I just need to see her and..."

"NO! You don't get to set the terms." Caroline barrels over any protest. Damon can hear the springs and the frame of the chair giving under Caroline's tightening grip. "We constantly fail Bonnie. If there's a way to give her the worst outcome ever, it's done. This time, we aren't going to fail her. I'm going to make sure we don't screw her over. You're going to do the research, but you are not taking the helm. Hear what I'm saying demon, you jettison your 'best friend' Bonnie out of your life, you did that. Acknowledge the carnage you caused and leave her the fuck alone." Her steely gaze leaves him signaling the end of the discussion.

Damon resists reaching over and throttling her. The damn child had only been around for a second in comparison to him. Stefan would be of no help as he was trying to do the right thing, and toe the line. Right now, Caroline has no interest in hearing his explanations. He gambled and lost, he just never thought it would be so much. It all wore him to his bones. He has to save Bonnie, but after a tiny little nap.

* * *

Bonnie gazes at the dusky sky, as stars emerge, on a jutting clifftop she found deep within Algonquin Park, in Canada. She toes the edge and leans into the wind, almost hovering. Damon joins her as she slows down the scenery, little traces of the daylight glows against the horizon of twilight. A juncture frozen, she settles back onto her feet. Glittering mist swirls about her finger tips excited by his presence as he steps closer. He's always there; she never doubts that he will be. She wants to relax, for Damon not to drill her with his latest mantras for her safety.

Damon can see her back tense when he starts to rub her arms. He doesn't want her to run away from him. He takes her hand, to play with her fingers. Such little fingers bursting with power, he brushes them across his cheek. He is happy and wonders how he can be so satisfied. With just this? Without Elena? He slides his hands downs her arms again as he faces her. It annoyingly felt right. And of course, he had to blow it.

"I'll fix this."

"Save it for Elena." She tries to shrug out of his hands.

"I'm here for you." He won't let go.

"Yeah, in the dream world." She sounds bitter.

"No Bonnie, I'm here..." She moves her finger across his lips to silence him and hauntingly lets out a big breath. She keeps her finger there as he stares into her eyes. This is as close as he can get. For when he finds her in the real world, he doubts she will let him touch her, cuddle her. The ache of what's to come makes him ravenous for Bonnie. He wants to venture a taste of her finger, let it slip in for a wink. His breath leaves his mouth tickling the pad of her index adding to the underlying tension. She sways, he follows. She has a level head that didn't need to crash and burn to get solutions or answers. Slow and methodical had its time, but he would never tell her that. Right now, slow and in his arms, suits him fine.

She watches as his stupid smirk graces his face. The bastard looks content, figures. He always looks happy to be there with her. She loved her best friend's boyfriend. Maybe it was a deep appreciative crush. Her intricate fantasy was not helpful and confusing her resolution. She feels the hot tip of her finger on Damon's lip connect to other glowing slivers. Their hearts sync, beeping of prospects that can't happen in their lives.

"Lil bird." He whispers softly.

Those words carries a daunting weight. It flows into his tightening grip, she realizes she's too close. Her heart is ready to dive. But she can't.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"I can't!"

Bonnie's eyes pop open as she sits up in the middle of the bed; she's still in the rundown motel. Its disconcerting how she shares with him and he basks in her, as though there's no one else in the world, but she has engineered it that way. He was always encouraging; she also shaped that sentiment too. But why make Damon go on endlessly about her safety of late, in her own subconscious? She couldn't quell the inner weakness concerning Damon? The fake relationship she was carrying-on within her dreamscape, was an endless argument with herself. It hadn't lead to any decree as to why? Bonnie rubs her aching head. The next time she sees Caroline, she will tell her about the dreams because she's feeling wacky now. Entertaining an imaginary best friend, that dumped her, is beyond mentally unhealthy.

And what about Enzo? She mindlessly plays with ring on her index. He's become his own issue. Maybe she should let one enemy or another take her because she might be better off. She shakes herself to refocus and cast a location spell for Rayna. She clutches the satchel she just acquired, holds it close to her heart while murmuring a spell, then spills the aqua runes from within. A smile flickers on her face, she's got a location. Hesitantly, she picks up her cell to call Enzo.

* * *

Ric finishes his meeting with Alex St. John, Leader of The Armory. He informs her of the attack in Dallas, involving Rayna, some kids and Caroline. He simply told Alex, he knew this was about Bonnie and Stefan, and offered up his connections if it could be of help. She was suspicious of his curiosity, but the welfare of humans was under Armory purview, so he presents it as such. He was told of an investigation into an ancient power that could be a threat, and Bonnie could have a unique insight on how to deal with it. Unfortunately, Bonnie had been given the wrong impression. Stefan was of no interest. Alex wasn't sure what Rayna's deal was, but hazards a guess it wasn't good for Bonnie. She advises him to get the word to Miss Bennett; they need her help and they could deal with Rayna. Alex was adamant about no harm coming to Bonnie, and he wills himself to believe it. He sees a resolution to this mess.

Before Ric heads out the door, he arbitrarily teases about Enzo St. John potential relation due to the matching last names. Alex laughs, points out the obvious, he's a vampire. Ric thought he saw a hint of tension under the forced laugh, and still promises to see what he can do. He would contact her as soon as he could. Then things can go back as they were, before Rayna came in and dismantled his family. This was going to help Bonnie, in his way. He would tell Caroline the appropriate details when the time is right, and Stefan couldn't interfere. He even avoided informing her of Valerie's death thus far. He was simply being a good buffer. He kept faith that whatever Caroline was trying to do, it would be successful and they would be back together soon.

Skepticism strums through Alex's fingers. Alaric Saltzman appears at The Armory doors, petitioning to see her. He hadn't resemble a viable avenue to Bonnie before, but after Rayna's attack, who knows. But all the song and dance he presented was not about that. She could smell the disdain for the supernaturals wafting off him. Alaric's animosity would be easy to manipulate to her favor. She gave the barest outline for the need of the witch, selling the story of the protection of humankind; desperate Alaric gobbled it up. She would see how far this new line of probing got them. Rayna was getting too close. If she kills Bonnie, the vault would remain close forever.

The urgency to contact Enzo infuses her. Saltzman had glanced at their connection. The time for surprises had passed. Enzo needs to be pushed on the matter of Bonnie Bennett. His childish desire to gently guide Bonnie to their side had run its course. Luckily, Alex had a couple of backup plans to help Enzo be the winner of Bonnie's heart. There was a potion and Enzo's and Bonnie's rings. Those precious marriage rings, with one submitting to the other's dominance, would be used to control Bonnie when the time was right. She would be a worthy tool amongst The Armory ordinance. Alex laughs at the ease, at which the men in Bonnie's life betray her without shame. They believe in their good intentions, they jest the road to hell. God bless the desperation of men.

* * *

Thirty-five minutes ago, Stefan wiped the salve off his scar, and stepped under a lone light. In the heart of an abandoned industrial complex, he waits with Damon, for Rayna to appear. They left Caroline at a rented cottage. She was not too happy with this decision, but couldn't fight the argument of her being fodder to get to Stefan. She told them not to die. Stefan is grateful for any scrap of affection she tosses his way. His reveries are brought to a stop when Rayna appears.

"I'm sorry Stefan, but your time has come."

"Now, now Rayna, come on, let's catch up." Damon steps forward from the shadows surrounding barely lit pair.

"Damon? Can't be. That coward ran off years ago."

"Yeah, blah blah blah, I'm a bad boy. Enough catching up. I want the mark." Damon pronounces. Rayna pauses her stalking, bewildered by his request.

"Oh, do you?"

"I do."

"And why would I do that?"

"I deserve it."

"Your damn right you do. But you let your brother carry your burden all this time."

"Like I said, I'm a bad bad boy'

"What trickery is this?"

"No trick. You give me the mark and let Stefan go. That easy."

Damon taps Stefan and gestures to the floor. The brothers proceed to kneel before Rayna and her sword. Rayna shrugged her shoulders. She raises the sword, readying herself.

"Why not. Or maybe I'll just kill you both." she crackles.

"Will this keep you away from Bonnie now?"

Rayna pauses her movements, side-eyeing Damon.

"So that's why you're here? For her? Aren't you full of surprises."

"I'm the protector of the Bennett line."

"Bang up job your doing."

"Well I do try. So you kill witches? Equal opportunist now?"

"I truly don't enjoy hunting her. My magical benefactors and I are ashamed of this."

"Funny, doesn't come across like that. Care explaining."

"Blame the Armory for this. Always experimenting and concocting. They did something to me. They made Bonnie a threat to me and so many more. I truly have no control over this. She can't be allowed to open the vault. When I kill this Bennett, I will save the world. But the sacrifice will damn my shaman spirits and I for eternity for committing such blasphemy."

Rayna goes to lift the sword, only to put it down again when Damon palms his hand up.

"And if I could help with that?"

"You can't."

"Aw, come on. You don't know till you try."

"You're still dead."

"But will it get you off Bonnie's back?"

"It may. But how?"

"I'm not revealing my entire plan to you; common villain mistake. There's a chance I can fix this for you and it's better than being damned."

Rayna knows Damon is tricky. His Machiavellian tactics have caused her havoc and left her in awe, but he may have something. Bonnie was important enough because he never did show this level of involvement for his brother. She can clearly see his motivations it makes her decision a tad easier.

"Then let's exchange marks already!" she boasts.

Rayna proceeded to run the sword in reverse against Stefan skin. He could feel it unhook from his soul. Releasing him, like first time he got out of the safe. He collapses on his knees, trying to get some strength back. Rayna turns to Damon and runs the knife down his chest; it puffs and swells. It was done.

"If you double cross me Damon…" She whips her head to look at the other side of the complex, leaning into the new presence. Damon turns his head to his brother to see if he knew what the hell was going on. Stefan shrugs. "Things are about to get interesting boys. Now run! Run to her because hell is at your backs!"

* * *

Enzo watches as Bonnie is quiet in her own little bubble. Earlier, he tried to be gentle when he pointed out how she was easily out numbered during the meet with the druids. He was trying to get her to understand the unnecessary danger she was putting herself in. She'd been quiet since then. He wasn't scolding her. He was trying to shield her. As they came upon the complex, he can feel her magic tingle. She's rearing to fight. She finally stops taking the ring on and off her finger; he notices her new tick.

Enzo's reluctant to come here, but chooses to back Bonnie or be left out of the latest loop. Worst yet, he has horrible reception, so his text to Alex sits waiting on his cell for a functioning tower to access. As he pulls into the parking lot he notices a 1967 Pontiac GTO parked off to the side. The beautifully conditioned car makes him feel ill. The sound of Bonnie taking a couple of cleansing breaths as she steps out of the car brings him back. Enzo follows suits and as he closes his car door, a door on the side of the complex slams open. Vampires. They are flashing towards them and one of them is eerily familiar.

Bonnie turns to see an exit door is thrown open and two blurs are charging towards them. No, towards her. Bonnie could feel her heart pounding hard against her chest, drubbing out Enzo's shouts. Her magic inflames with anticipation, not fear. Then one of the two flashes stop right in front of her. Bonnie's mouth drops open. Shock. Gawking at the nerve of the man standing in front of her, all her little hairs stand on end. Where the fuck did he come from? She had heard from Caroline that Stefan was back, but this? The nerve of Damon was unreal.

"Rayna's behind us. We have to go Lil' bird."

Damon could feel the tingle of Bonnie's magic in the air, indicating she is pissed. He wants to explain, but he needs her in his protected embrace more. With no time for pleasantries, he scoops up Bonnie and places her in the GTO, almost leaving Stefan.

Enzo curses hard enough to draw a bloody tear. As he gets back into his car and starts it, Rayna steps out of the exit door. Its time to run. As he guns after the fleeing GTO, he plots all the ways to kill Damon Salvatore.

Bonnie feels her anger sloshing about, yearning to erupt. She wants to scorch everything, starting with the jackass beside her, a blister blazing brand, memorable for eternity. Stefan reaches from the back, smearing something onto Damon's chest, mentioning how they will meet up with Caroline later. She really can't pay attention to either idiot right now. Her magic wants to get swept away in her rage and strike out. Her indignation was further fueled by the semblance of relief her magic feels at Damon's return; the duality of feelings is driving her mad. She can't reconcile this, she can't move on from Damon. How does she stop the tumbling, and get some footing in her personal life. The shock is wearing off, as the sensations of a gravel road bumping her along, awakening feelings of rejection, alienation, mostly betrayal. As soon as the car stops, Bonnie dashes out of the car, getting away from the inevitable torment.

Damon took stock of Bonnie, silent as stone beside him. He noticed a ring on her finger. He suspects its Enzo's mark. That's going to be fixed promptly. Bonnie has no idea the depth he will go to save her this time. There would be no alternatives or distractions. She was going to survive this, and not die. When he stopped the car at a group of cottages, Bonnie bolted out. She had not looked his way once since he popped up before her. He watches as she walks away, and knows by the tensing of her upper shoulders, she's trying to reign in, instead of pop off. But this is their jam, so he spits in the face of common sense, and goes after her, ignoring the screeching car coming to a stop behind him.

Stefan sees Enzo coming in fast. He tries to intervene, but Enzo doesn't eat Bambi. Enzo drinks human blood and it shows, as he tosses Stefan through a tree trunk, impaling him on some blunted branches. Enzo flashes over to Damon and shoves him away from Bonnie. Damon shoves Enzo back. The blurring zooms back and forth, as Stefan attempts to untangle himself from the embedded branches. Bonnie has had enough of the scuffle behind her. She puts them all down with a mega aneurysm, leaving them twisting on the ground. After a few minutes, Bonnie stops the aneurysm, goes into the nearest open cottage, and slams the door shut behind her.

* * *

The car swerves, scraping on rims. A single angry pulse scrambles Nori's vision as she fights to keep the car from flipping. Esha braces her limbs on the dash, door and passenger seat, with one left for her aching head.

"Don't die, don't die." Esha chants.

"Are you kidding me? We are eternal." Nori shakes her head and settles the car as the agony from pulse fades. "Bonnie is not happy."

"No, no, that trooper is not happy."

Sirens and lights imbued the interior of their car. Nori chants a little spell making car slip into the invisible. An officer passes, swiveling all directions in the front seat, wondering what exactly he saw.

"Has this happen before?" Esha presses.

"No."

Esha is overwrought with questions but she knows its best to be gentle with Nori right now. Bonnie's presence was melding with theirs's, invigorating the dogfight. To Esha, it was incidental that Bonnie was the one. Wishes have fallen through before, hopes were dashed, but she wasn't going to let anyone take their baby sister this time. To assume her fighting spirit was nonexistent, was a mistake. She preferred not to fight after years on the battlefield herself. But this divergence pushed for radical action.

"Go faster." Esha stresses.

Nori steps on the gas leaving the confused trooper in their dust. Though her sister hasn't said it, Esha has shown with every action a presumption that Bonnie is their rebuffed sister. There was no point in denying the tenuous connection hypnotizes her as well. They need to get to little sister, ahead of as many dire calamities as possible. Nori hoped that this Lucy woman had some answers.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Bonnie wakes to the smell of coffee. Enzo learns to never speak to her, unless she's digested caffeine. She stretches her arms and peeks over the covers to find Enzo holding a cup of black, waiting for permission to approach. She nods, he offers up the warm lava, she takes it, inhales and takes a big sip. She wants at least five minutes to try and process the shit that's comes flying her way in the last twenty-four hours. Most notable is Damon is here.

She doesn't want to attempt a discussion about or with him, but circumstance forces her hand. Yesterday something happened with him and Rayna, she needs to know what. Damon had a way of making a situation spiral into further into peril, with an off chance of it benefitting them later. Presently she has to shore up her emotional dams for all the conversations to undergo, starting with Enzo.

Enzo's back-handed praise was getting intolerable. He'd dragged his feet about confronting Rayna. Then his machismo show down with Damon was enough. She sent up an aneurysm that would knock back any vamp within a quarter mile. She's not obtuse to Enzo's feelings because Damon did scoop her up without much protest from her. Enzo paces at the foot of the bed and she knows she can't leave him twisting. She forces herself to speak or this will drag out.

"Sorry, not sorry. You guys… You… Fucking Damon." She sips some more.

"It was a shock. We weren't expecting this. I will deal with him and it will be fine. You don't have to worry." Enzo tries to take the upper hand and Bonnie resist.

"Enzo, thanks, but I'm going to deal with Damon. All you two can do is fight."

"Last night was," Bonnie makes a stop motion with her hand. Bonnie can see this will go no where, as Enzo try to assert himself again.

"Enzo, please. I need to talk to him alone."

"Bonnie we can do this together. You don't have to do it on your own. I'm here."

"I'm trying to make the best of a bad situation. I know you think I'm making a mistake, but you have to trust me." Enzo looks anything, but convinced. If he could be reasonable, they might get through this.

"He's tricky Bonnie. And your past history says you will let him back in." He's not going to be reasonable.

"Wow, your belief in me is comforting. I'm not sure what power you think Damon has over me, but it's not that persuasive. I need answers and he has them. I know the shit storm Damon tows with him. I'm also one of the few who doesn't take shit from him."

Enzo swallows any other objections because it will increases the disfavor between them, letting the conversation lapse. When he recovered enough from last night's aneurysm to stand, he went into the cottage after Bonnie. She gave a clear signal to approach with utmost caution or suffer the consequences. He stayed a safe distance, even when she finally lied down exhausted. Could his plans can be salvaged, as this mess continues to collapse the strategies set around Bonnie? His progress' rapid decline was solely because of Damon. The question was how to kill him without being discovered. Enzo checks his cell and notices several missed calls from Alex. He wonders if she knew of this new development. It was time for him and his cousin to talk.

"Bonnie, I'm going to finish tracking down some information about the Armory and Rayna. It may help." Enzo offers as he eases Bonnie into a long cardigan to keep the morning chill off.

"Now?" She steps away from him, and tilts her head, questioning the motive.

"I figure it will give you time to have the 'talk' with Damon. I'll only be gone for two to three hours. You say you need to do this alone, but you must understand how hard it is for me to let... to watch this happen. And you did keep the letter, so…"

"Really?!" Bonnie is not sure if she is mollified or not, but this was going nowhere fast. A time-out may help.

"It's ok. I'm going to trust you to see through him and put this behind you once and for all." Enzo kisses her and heads to the door, leaving Bonnie irritated by his assumptions and innuendos. She picks up her cell to text Caroline.

* * *

Two figures have stood for hours in front of Bonnie's cottage, waiting for signs its inhabitant is awake. After the mind-blowing aneurysm, getting Damon to see the pros were overwhelming the cons, for not going after Bonnie, Stefan got him to stand down. Damon remained seeded, facing her door, fore going sleep like a centurion, waiting for her commands.

Caroline comes to join the brothers on the front lawn as dawn comes up. Her brisk walk towards them reverberate her anger. Stefan knows part of her must be worried about Bonnie's reaction to her part in this screw-up. But he know it's mostly the idea of Bonnie having to put with Damon again, when Care explicitly said no to any kind of meet up between the two ex-bestie before it was vetted.

"What happened?"

Care's arms are fold, as she tries to restrain the urge to kill them right there. Damon shows no sign of hearing her. Stefan stands between them blocking her line of sight of Damon. It was better to keep her focus on him. Damon was too volatile.

"Bonnie showed up. We're as surprised as you are. Damon brought her here and tried to lose Enzo in his dust. Damon has my mark now and made a deal with Rayna to keep Bonnie safe."

Caroline's head spins on the new info Stefan provides her. She got the lay of it, but still there were some holes.

"Why did I receive the aneurysm end all aneurysms last night?"

"Enzo and Damon were behaving badly." Damon starts softly growling.

"How bad did you guys make things last night?"

"Caroline, we met up with Rayna and it went crazy without us doing anything off script. Once Bonnie comes out, we can go from there."

"Actually, this is where I step in. You two obviously can't be relied on."

"Why?"

"Damon has your mark? And what deal with Rayna? None of this was discussed."

"Damon did say he was going to see about the mark. And he hasn't made it clear how his plan to save Bonnie works."

"You guys are nuts and it's my fault for thinking you guys could do this without making it worst." Damon's growl picks up couple of decibels. "You tell your brother, not to push his luck. Bonnie's needs and wants should go before his, for once." At this point, they can hear movement in the cabin. "I will talk to her and see what she wants to do. Think you guys can handle that?" Her cell dings as a text is received. Bonnie asked her to come to her cottage. She looks up to see Enzo leaving there.

As Enzo exits the cottage, he gets a load of the Salvatores, waiting with Caroline. Even though she is off to the side of the brothers, there is no doubt the Mystic Falls gang is coming back together again, the worst news possible. Bonnie didn't need these people interfering with his designs for her. Caroline was best friend swayed by her latest male suitor. Bonnie wouldn't need her anymore, but her death would have to wait till the troubling reintroduction of the Salvatores was snuffed out.

The branches didn't ended Stefan life last night, but Enzo's aim was off. It was no matter because Stefan was weak and easily disposed. Enzo biggest desire is to stick his hand into Damon's chest cavity and rip his heart out. More easily said, than done. He struggles with his rage as he icily passes the group. He gets into his car and takes off to find a final solution to Damon and make Bonnie his.

* * *

The wooden door creaks open, as Caroline's calls out. Bonnie is on the far side of the open concept cottage, looking irked. Care is not sure how to tell her best friend about her collusion with the brothers. She only wants to protect Bonnie. As the door shuts, Bonnie turns to face her and whispers something. Care shrugs at her to question the action taken.

"Privacy spell. I want this conversation between us only." Bonnie points to a couch by a fireplace, suggesting they sit.

"Is everything ok with you and Enzo?"

"Enzo thinks I'll fall all over myself to reconnect with Damon, but we'll get back to that. Care, what's going on? "

"I love you. I teamed up with Stefan to get Rayna off your back. He went and got Damon behind my back. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I'm sorry Bonnie. I was trying to help." Care bows her head in shame as she admits her part in this fracas.

"How could you work with Damon?"

"I wasn't... not at first. Damon had a way in, I thought I could use without all hell breaking lose. I was wrong."

"I told you I would handle this. You're a mom now Caroline. You need to stay safe for the girls' sake. "

"Bonnie, I'm doing that, I swear. But this is about your safety. Your life can't be left on pause, repeatedly set up to be the sacrifice for good. I don't want you to die Bonnie. I have to help."

"Why didn't you talk to me about it first?"

"Are you kidding? You are determined to take a minimal amount of help, from anyone. When we talk, we keep it superficial of late, nothing of your dreams or your desires. It's like you don't have a right to exist or want things because your life never really mattered, and it gets packaged as selflessness. You've ignored the impact of these sacrifices and I've foolishly follow suit. I'm sorry for my part in this Bonnie, but I want to make up for it. I want you to live, for yourself. I love you and in my desperation, I made the stupid mistake of teaming up with the wonder idiots. Can you forgive me?"

Bonnie can't help to feel grateful and relieved at Care's insistence of her self-worth. Bonnie is slightly ticked Caroline worked with Damon, but it's overshadowed by Care's obvious love and care for her. Bonnie pulls Care into a hug. She won't bother being mad. She's made to feel like a treasure, not an obligation.

"I'm not mad Care, I just wished…"

"I used better judgement? So do I. I thought if I got rid of Rayna, your life would improve tenfold. Then we'd fix the Armory… The guys were supposed to be doing recon, not striking deals. But I can't fault Damon's passion to save you."

"What deal?"

"No details, except Damon got Rayna to give him Stefan's mark and made a deal to keep you safe."

Bonnie can only shake her head at the prospect of whatever deal Damon has struck. Bonnie needs her friend's insight and compassion now, to shed the guilt she's weighted down with. She needs to let it all out.

"I need a 'no judgement zone' for five minutes Care." Caroline nods her head in agreement, and Bonnie unloads. "Enzo is driving me crazy. He's trying to run my life and I'm thinking of I'm breaking up with him. I so tired of all of this shit. I don't want to be tied to Elena. I want to be free of all the restraints, judgments and punishments. I'm not sure Alaric has my back any more. I don't want to hurt you Care, but he has a strong dislike for magic, like Matt does. As for the Salvatores, Stefan has no interest in me unless it's about Elena or you. Damon is back. Things are bound to ramp up with him in the mix. And I'm so angry at him Care, but I don't want to face him. Enzo may have a point about me being a welcome mat for Damon."

"Bonnie you are not a fool. Don't listen to Enzo. You're one of the smartest women I know."

"Caroline, I've been dreaming about Damon since he left me."

"Okay, it's normal. He hurt you deeply."

"No, Care. I dream about Damon every day. Every dream since he left me, day or night, he's been there with me. I can't explain, justify or stop it. I'm fantasying about Damon." Bonnie looks defeated.

"It's okay Bon. I wish you'd told me sooner, but we can figure this out. Wait, did you dream of him last night?"

"No."

"Maybe there's nothing to work out. It's not as though crazy things are happening during your waking hours to make this a problem, right?

"I don't think so. I tried to ignore him, but after six months of dreaming, what could be the harm, right? Wrong. Yet another miscalculation in my never ending series of wrong choices in my life."

"You're being too hard on yourself Bonnie. You're the one usually getting royally screwed. It's doesn't seem fair hon."

"It doesn't. No matter what, I pay in full for my missteps. The greater good is supposed to be worth it Care, but my reparations are guttin' me." Bonnie whispers. Care's heart breaks at hearing this. She can't fail her bestie. "I can't talk to Enzo about all this. I feel a little guilty keeping all this from him, but I'll feel crummier getting his holier than thou lecture. Am I wrong?"

"Bon, there's no judgement here, none. You have to do what's best for you. I can't say I'm doing any better with Ric. He's got this fantasy about magic I've allowed to get out of hand. He loves me, but I'm not feeling the same. Relationships are hard, complicated and each runs its own course. You must be fair with yourself Bon. Were you really serious about Enzo in the first place?"

"You're right Care. I never promised Enzo anything more than what I could give him. He just never accepted it. Hell, he doesn't have much faith in me either. God this sucks." Bonnie can feel some pressure lessening.

"That's not your fault Bonnie. These things happen. Be true to yourself. Okay? Good. Now what are we going to do about Damon?"

"I will talk to him alone. It's time to get control over whatever is left between us. Maybe I was looking for closure in these dreams. I can get that and move on."

"Are you sure?"

"About 95%, but I gotta do this."

Caroline embraces Bonnie tightly. She doesn't want to make Bonnie doubt herself, however, there's one aspect of her relationship with Damon she willfully ignores; their love. It's more entwined than the relationship Damon holds with Elena. By denying it, they're constantly blindsided by it. Care hates to admit it, but the flux between the besties needs to be mended. Bonnie and Damon were the best option for everyone's future survival. And bonus, he could be singe to a crisp, making Caroline smile.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Damon knocks, enters the cottage with Stefan trailing behind him. Caroline had just left, gesturing to Damon to go in. Bonnie and Damon met at the center of the room, a few feet apart, staring each other down. There would be no stalemate, there would be a conclusion.

Bonnie enunciates each word, "What did you do?"

"Hey BonBon." Damon counters.

"What did you do?" Green eyes flicker to the danger to come.

"Bonnie I'm here to help."

"I'm gonna ask one more time, what did you do?"

"Bonnie…" Stefan tries to interject, but a single ringed index finger is held up to him, signalling her objection superseding his.

"You're not invited Stefan. If you have any sense, leave. I won't kill him, but I may hurt you, badly. You know, Girl Code."

Stefan quickly calculates the risk he's trying to undertake. Now doesn't seem like the time to pushed Bonnie, and he backs out of the room. When the door closes, past best friends refocus on each other.

Damon steps up first, with his hands up in surrender. "Bonnie, I know you're angry. I'm only here to help."

"Why? I didn't ask for your help. I don't need your help. Leave me Damon. That's what you're good at." She twists and twirls the ring, fueled by her fury.

"I thought you'd be safer."

Bonnie rolls her eyes, "I'm a Bennett witch. There's no 'safer'." She irritably and unconciously slides the ring off her finger.

"I was trying to do the right thing Bonnie. Me! And of course, it blows up in my face.", he mutters. "I was trying to make sure you got the wonderful life you deserve. I'm not conducive to that. But that doesn't seem to matter, so I'm here. "

"You're here till you change your mind again. And I get it; Elena is end all, be all. That's hard to resist."

"It's not it." Oh, he has an idea he dares not entertain.

"You drop me a letter, leave without a word to me?" The rings flips between her finger tips.

"I couldn't…"

Tightly presses into the flesh of her palm, she wonders if the ring would cut her. "I thought I mattered to you, Damon."

"You matter. Always." The problem he had was how much.

"How?" The question is echoed by her slamming of the ring onto the coffee table. She turns away from him, and the ring is already forgotten.

The agony in her question draws Damon in, reaching out to touch Bonnie's arm. Instantaneously, he's thrown across the room, embedded high in the cottage wall. He pushes himself out and lands on the floor. He felt her lingering hurt, staining her magic. He has no desire to be the cause of such a taint. The usual smell of warm homely vanilla, with spicy cinnamon ribbon through was dull, almost muted. It's only wish seems to shed worn exterior, but her magic expects his help.

It was funny how her magic always welcomes him. He couldn't understand after all he had done why her magic trusts him. It handles his anise ways when necessary, but cradles and merges with him to make their efforts together formidable. The love, maim, hate worked as a relationship for them, till it didn't. He dusts himself off and heads back towards Bonnie, as she takes long deep breaths.

"My bad. Hands off, okay? Um, did you read my letter?... I'm guessing... no?... It was a good letter. I want so much for you and your future. I want you to live... I need you to live Bonnie. I swear I'll go away after you're safe." He throws up the Boy Scout hand pledge to cement his promise. "I care-" his voice is silenced. Glitter green orbs burn from her side of the room.

"Care? That's rich. You left me. You said you wouldn't do, but you did. I should show you how it felt." Bonnie bellows.

Damon wasn't sure when to let her know he could; he felt the fissure in her heart resembling the ache in his. He wasn't sure how he could cultivate such a connection, however witchy had to be clued in. The closer he got to her, the stronger the kinship felt, but Bonnie wasn't picking up on their connection. She didn't know her maladies are being shared through their link. A sane person may step away from this emotional jeopardy, but Damon was anything but sane. He opens himself to siphon more of her angst. Maybe he can pacify some of her fears.

Bonnie not sure what Damon was trying to accomplish as he keeps shuffling towards her. She wants to atomize him but the relief would be minuscule. Still, she wants to scorch the vamp, but he would still look good bald, laced with scars. She forces herself not to chuckle out loud. Her anger tapers down, and he stops moving two feet away from her. Why was she weak with him? Could she really be the reason he was back? It was useless to try and figure him out. She prepares herself to be firm because Damon can surely shake her, literally and figuratively.

"I can't trust or depend on you, so I can't work with you. So just tell me what you did and go take a nap."

He can feel her fighting against him and more surprising, her magic. "Sorry BonBon, I'm involved. Made a promise to Rayna and I can't break it."

"You can't break a promise?" she says pointedly.

"I did it for you." Damon knows this convo is about implode unless he does something fast.

"You did it for yourself!" Bonnie stops speaking when Damon opens his shirt to show a purple festering slice marring his pale upper pec. "Dammit Damon, what did you do?" she whispers.

"I took Stefan's mark. Then I made a deal with Rayna to get her off your back. You're stuck with me."

"Why did you do it?"

"I was wrong."

"Leaving your brother out in the cold was not very brotherly, but no one would accuse you of trying to be a good one."

"No Bonnie, I was wrong about leaving you. You. I'm sorr-"

"Why? My life is now intrinsic to the big picture. Sacrifice needed?" Sarcasm whips off her tongue as balks at his sincerity.

"Fuck sacrifice. Your life is important, priceless."

"Tell you what, I'll write Elena a note about your heroic deed and good will. Go back to her, after you tell me everything."

He's still a couple feet away from her and she can't stop from trembling. What's he waiting for? Rushing in is his M.O. But there he stands and waits. He says he came back for her, but shame infuses her again. She was never enough. Their discourse is not going the way she expects, and indifference starts to creep in. All the bravado was a waste.

Damon never regret many of his decisions. He stands by his choices. He was his own vampire and delights in it. The path he executed to save her from his blunders, failed spectacularly. He effectively left her hanging, again. His witch stood before him, coated in shame and disdain. Bonnie was worthy, but he planted doubt in her. His attempts to reach her were alienating her more. She had no validation she's a priority his life. He hopes their magical connection will let him show her proof of her importance, her worth. With all his might, he concentrates.

 _"…. you're special... to me… never meant to hurt..."_

She barely hears him, but she also sees he's not moving his lips. She's neglected the emotional weight of her magic of late. Then again maybe she's snapped like a dried-up twig. Her magic perks without her input. It wants a place to be heard, it wants to a resolution to the uptick in her ticker, that leads to sparks, that's smothered by the bank of tears that never shed. Her magic shows her Damon's pleas and the regret of his decision. Bonnie wrestles her magic back from responding, for she wasn't quite there yet.

 _"This… my fuck up… not yours."_

He acknowledges the pain he's caused. He sees her hurt, even the ones not his making. She feels his sincerity and how her aches haunt him. She feels his sham. Wait a minute. How and why was she feeling him like this? Bonnie leans in to scrutinize Damon.

"How did you do this Damon?" she steps forward just a smidgen, officially landing in Damon's personal space.

"Why is it always me? Why can't it be you?" he taps the tip of her nose.

"ME? I'm not doing this."

"Bonnie, I got no magic."

Her breath hitches in her throat as the reality begins to dawn in on her. It wasn't true he didn't have magic; all supernaturals are magical in nature. This couldn't be her. However, she senses the next the thing Damon says will make it all click.

"Bonnie, I never left. Not really. I was there in your dreams, since the moment I slept, I was with you. The dreams Bonnie, the dreams we commun…"

Bonnie doesn't hear anything else after Damon says that. He was there. A connection with Damon on a meta-physical level, allowing dream visitations. It was a small consolation to find the fantasy was not an entire fiction she had spun for sick self fulfillment, but reality. A mutual dreamscape shared only by two. No one could fully suppress themselves, as almost everything was laid to out for the other to bare witness to over the last three years. None of it had a figment, it was all the real Damon. In the present time, he's still prattling on.

"Please stop talking Damon."

Damon does as she tells him. He knew Bonnie had checked out some time ago, but he wasn't going to make a fuss. He senses her loathing, at being weak enough to let this connection occur between mortal enemies. She's disappointed in herself. There would be no judgement from him. He wants her to believe better of herself. He could see the gears ticking away as she maps out how they came to be mentally bonded in such a manner. But there is also a bit of hope. He won't dwell on that, yet.

Bonnie recalculates several times, over and over to see if her calculations could be off. Bonds have a chance of happening to mystical creatures who swap their essences. Now if the connection between two or more parties is amplified, it can grant access to a magical fusion with no clear guidelines or rules because integrations are unique like snowflakes. With the ex-besties, swapping essences was a common occurrence. Bonnie had held onto Damon as the Otherside evaporated. Damon freely gave her transfusions at the drop of a hat. It seems the link is solid enough to tap in and use as a gateway to each other, but what were the other possibilities?

Bonnie believes she was to be solitary, as people were constantly leaving her. For her mother and father, it was asking too much to usher their child, as they both found something better to parent. Her first boyfriend wanted to desperately fuck a poltergeist than her. Elena, most times, was the source of her various destruction, but never gave back as much as Bonnie had put in. She suspects her relationship with Caroline would eventually fade into the background because of Ric's attitude. He would give the final push for a life outside of magic, all for the twin's sake.

And Damon, he had shown her what her friendship amounts to; she was a stepping stone towards one's true aspirations. Bonnie no longer desire to go up against a child, career, boyfriend, ghost, or girlfriend to prove her worth anymore. The thing was, Damon knew this and wasn't asking her to do that. He wants to prove his worth to her. He wants a chance to undo all the doubt. She can sense the fear in him, he worries she'll turn him away and never let him in again. This sentiment is not of her making, it's all his own. Damon wants her, needs her and her magic's squeezes onto him tight.

She looks him in the eyes. She wants to talk more, but she's talked out. She can feel Damon contentment and her trembling has come to a stop. As she stares deeper into his eyes, she knows this piece of him is only for her. She knows he will protect her with his life, but she still can't trust he won't run from her again. That and there's something still hidden, something he keeps dodging, making her wonder if they can get past the baggage left in their wake. So, they stand a foot apart, staring and waiting for common sense to find them, and set them onto a proper course, but instead they root in.

* * *

The sisters should be pulling up to Lucy Bennett's fishing cabin. They should be in Raleigh, as they entered North Caroline hours ago. Lucy hid herself in the shadowy forest on Johnson Lake. The simple structure had multiple escape routes and was built on a witch's scared ground. She met Esha years ago, when she thought she was screwed on a job. Esha never held it over her head till today. She had insisted her, and her sister need to see Lucy immediately. They also asked about Bonnie. Esha reassured her several times they only want to help Bonnie.

Lucy is takes as many precautions as she can before her encounter with the sisters. She placed crippling hexes and stun spots, dotting on the trees surrounding her abode. Her final stand was a psychic energy bomb, under the couch ready to blow them all to hell, if the need calls for it. She hopes these gals will be reasonable. As their car pulls up, Lucy hangs out the front door and beacons them forward. Esha envelopes her in a warm hug and gives her chakras a sudden recharge. Esha pulls away, and gestures to the woman behind her.

"This is Nori, my big sister. She's been away."

"Actually, entombed, but it's not important. We believe Bonnie is in trouble with a serious entity." Nori decides they might as well be as straight forward as possible.

Lucy can't help but laugh. "My cousin is always facing something, so you're gonna have to get more specific."

"Please, let's sit and discuss this. The fate of all witches hangs in the ba7lance Lucy. We need your help." Esha implores.

Lucy opens the door wider and ushers them in. She readies herself for the latest tale of woe her poor cousin is drawn into. It was never how bad, but how her 'never self-serving sacrificial death' was needed to save the greater good; namely Elena, a lot of the time. Bonnie paid dearly. Damon was one of the proofs of payment.

Lucy visited Bonnie during her despondency from Damon's abandonment. She promised if she saw him again, she would give Damon some ball squeezing pain before she checked out of her life. Lucy thought Damon would have given up on the dream of Katherine 2.0, and be with Bonnie. Since the 1994 Prison, they're part of an exclusive pact, most didn't understand. Then Elena got hit with the big sleep and the relationship bloomed. Lucy could see Damon loved Bonnie, and Bonnie love him too. All was left for them to do was fuck, and admit their attraction. So she encouraged Bonnie to enjoy herself and have a good time. It startled her when Damon drank the Kool-Aid, became Rip Van Winkle. He did it without a word, making Lucy regret not guarding her cousin's heart better. She thought he would've been braver, instead of crushing her cousin's spirit.

The epicenter of pain ninety-nine percent of the time, was Bonnie. Her friends were till the end, until it wasn't useful for them anymore. No family except for her dodgy ass, Lucy found out about Bonnie's tragedies well after the fact. There were few instances Lucy had been there for her. Of late, she had done better in keeping in contact. She knew about the run-ins with the Armory and Rayna. She'd been conducting her own investigation, under the radar, due to an unsure past with the Armory. Bonnie insisted she didn't need help, but the situation was getting out of hand. Lucy wouldn't lose out on any more family. If these sisters had information that could help, she'd hear them out for Bonnie's sake.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Stefan is met by Caroline's 'Are you kidding' face as he moves further from the cottage.

"Why'd you go in there?"

"I thought I could help mediate."

"You're not Bonnie's friend." Stefan was a casual interloper in Bonnie's life. Without explanation, apology or a thank you, she's left on wayside, mishaps after mishap. Routinely by the 'good' vampire. If he was going to help, his compassion for Bonnie needed to be genuine and consistent.

"You're right; I didn't treat her like a friend. I should have guided her because I knew better. But I let her take the mantle of Ms. Fix-It." he squeezes the bridge of his nose, "Shelia would've seared me to the bone for treating her granddaughter like this. I need to make up for the shit I put her through."

"I agree, but in the interest of keeping it real, I haven't been doing a good job myself of late."

"So we both suck. Well that was a good pity party. Now what?" Stefan wearily chuckles.

"Save Bonnie." She says with utter determination.

"Caroline, I'm…" Care interrupts him, as he tries to apologize.

"I don't want hear this speech again Stefan. I'm glad you're here to help, but you still..." tying to project a neutral exterior, she takes a quick breath in and out to restart. "Let's keep this polite and stick to saving Bonnie. All I ask is for you to manage Damon as best as you can."

"I'm still not sure why you got in contact with me in the first place." He knew he shouldn't push, but his foolish ass couldn't let her go.

"Ah, Bonnie. I thought that was obvious."

"You just finish telling me were not close, so-"

"You owe her. I owe her. We all owe her. She is doing it alone and it's not working. We need to do this together or she will pay for all of us, again." She is trying not to sound as exasperated as she feels.

"Well, that's why I woke Damon. He's her best option. I know he's an ass, but he's in love with Bonnie. I know that's why he left. He can't seem to admit it himself."

"Don't you dare ever repeat what I'm about to say… I think you're right. I think Bonnie feels it just as deep that's why she was so devastated when he ghosted. I detest Damon for many viable reasons and it kills me to say this, but Bonnie's better with him, and Damon with her. Damon's and Elena's relationship is typhoon; they're in the middle, happily going with it and we on the outside get demolished. I thought eventually Elena would go back to you."

"I won't lie; there was a time when Elena and I made sense. Not the case anymore. And I know I sound bias saying this; their relationship makes Damon worse. I think he's working it out slowly that the 'love of his life' pales in comparison to one green eyed witch."

"So, we believe the ex-besties are in love. How's this going to work?" Care would not reveal all of Bonnie's personal business, but she saw an opportunity to help her best friend be happier. Stefan noticed the twinkle in her eyes.

"All we can do is talk to them Care. I got Damon here. I'm hoping he goes the rest of the way."

"That's if she can forgive him and…"

"And what?"

"And if she can forgive herself. Bonnie holds herself to a higher standard than most. It's a lot for her to get her head around and deem herself entitled to have. Hell this a lot for me, but they are the best chance for all of us surviving this." Care hugs herself as she thinks about the girls and the upheaval that could get worse. Their carefree life dismantled.

"You are going to be fine Care. I promise. I couldn't forgive myself if anything happen to you or the girls. "

Thus commence the awkwardness with Stefan last statement. Caroline lets it go on for a few moments, making him twist in unease. After all, she's still mad at him for being a jerk. She finally starts a conversation for potential strategies for dealing with Rayna and the Armory. For the next hour they do this, waiting for anyone to join them. Their banter falls into an easy habitual pattern. Care is constantly reminding herself to resist. Her cell is receiving alerts but no actual texts from Ric. And Stefan has no further info or insights to share. When his gazes of stupid adoration starts, she pauses for a break and calls Matt to speak to the girls. Things are relatively calm till Enzo reappears, pulling into the parking lot and marching to the cottage door, like a man with a mission.

* * *

Enzo opens the door to witness an intimate standoff between Bonnie and Damon. Her arm is out stretched with a hand clutched onto his chest. She is muttering a low loop of 'no'. As he gets closer, Damon doesn't pay him any mind, staring directly into Bonnie's greens. She jumps at Enzo's touch. Bonnie's head snaps back and forth, realizing how long she's been standing there. As she gets flustered, she misses the men's initial exchange.

With a smirk from ear to ear Damon doesn't say a word and eyeballs Enzo. Enzo can't stand the look on his face, so he grabs Damon to throw him out. Bonnie implores him through their bond and it's the only reason he is out the door without bloodshed. Enzo feels the panic breaching whats left of his calm when he notices the ring is off her finger.

"What the fuck was that?" Enzo spits.

"Enzo,' Bonnie drawls out his name, "Don't speak to me like that. You have no idea what's going on."

"You don't let me in Bonnie. You let him in, but not me."

"That's not true. It's complicated and I'm doing my best to figure it out. Damon struck some deal with Rayna, so we have to meet up with her."

"Bonnie, listen to yourself. You're talking about taking on Rayna head on, at a set time, and place. That's foolish. Let's be smart about this."

"You know what? I've had enough of your doubts. What is your problem? Are you really that threatened by Damon?"

"Don't Bonnie, don't." As he gets right in her face, her magic throws him back.

"You can't be here right now." Bonnie murmurs.

"Bonnie love, this is hard for on me. Please understand." Enzo beseeches. He sees she's on the edge and he needs to change his tune to bring her back to his fold. "Forgive me baby. I don't know why I let Damon get to me like this." He spots the ring sitting on the coffee table and he picks it up. "I love you Bonnie. I want you safe. Believe me." He kneels before her, trying to sway her back to him and gently cups her hands. "I'm sorry for being so harsh. I saw you two staring into each other's eyes, he was so smug. I'm the fool. I know. I don't want him to hurt you." He slips the ring onto her index and kisses it. "Tell me what you want to do and I'll do it luv."

Bonnie is not sure about Enzo's sudden turn around. They didn't need any more infighting or disruptions. She also knew after this display of anger and jealousy, their time together was winding down. For now she would try to work with him for the greater good.

"I'm sure you can help Enzo, but I still need a moment to myself." With that she removes her hands from his and turns her back.

Enzo gives her some breathing space and leaves the cottage. Hopefully she will keep the ring on while he is gone. This has gotten so much worse than he could have foreseen, making him regret the decision to leave her earlier. He had to get some serious back up or lose Bonnie to Damon.

* * *

Damon feels the link get foggy; Bonnie is trying to block him, but he can feel a hint of her irritation. He knows without a doubt, Enzo is the cause of the new wave of irk. It took all his fortitude not to barge back into the room and tear Enzo into pieces. He didn't want to blow up her spot, even if they kissed. Despite it being in a vision, it felt as real as any kiss he's ever had. He had lost himself, until Bonnie ripped herself out of the kiss. Words needed to be spoken, certain acknowledgements made. He got more than he could ask for, but couldn't linger on that, but feel he does. He had felt her uncertainty multiply by the scales of her warped justice. She is drowning in doubt. And he can't let her stay there.

He needs to make Bonnie's survival absolute. He done some research on Rayna's cursed mark, years ago, and found the main ingredient in this was a Shaman. He was going to meet him, but circumstances had changed. He now hopes to get some insight into what was driving Rayna to kill Bonnie, and the means to reverse it. Once she was out of the way, hopefully, massacring the Armory would be on the agenda. They all needed to work together, with Bonnie and him leading the charge, so he decided to bring in Steffy and Blondie into his fold. He waves them over.

"Okay kids, we got a lot of work to do. Caroline you need to get in contact with Rick and get him here. Stefan, take her to higher ground and get it done. We need to find out what the Armory is hiding."

"I'm not leaving you here, half cocked. What about Rayna!" Caroline demanded. Damon sighs.

"Years ago, I did some research on the mark and it lead me to shamans. Their spirit world is more forgiving then that of witches. I gotta wait for a call."

Caroline looks to Stefan for confirmation or some input, but Damon speaks again.

"I won't kill anyone or harass my lil' Bonster. She needs some space. When she's ready, she'll talk to me. For now, I want to get everything ready for her. We need to be prepared."

Care is gobsmacked. She's wobbling between Damon was teasing or being serious. She's not sure about his new earnestness. He is correct about getting in contact with Ric. They shouldn't be blindsided by the Armory. She would call Matt and have him keep the girls a little longer. Ric wouldn't want to be pulled in this far, but they really have no choice. And Ric needed to know magic was part of their lives and it should be managed for the girls' benefit. War was coming.

* * *

Lucy is laughing harder as Esha tells their tale. A lost coven promised from 'The beginning'? Decimated in time of Cleopatra's death, Nori was a dazed slave girl lead away from invading Romans, the sole survivor of her sect. Esha was found in 1200 AD on a battlefield near Somnath Temple in India. Now they were looking for their final sister, who they believed to be Bonnie. And this is what they want Lucy to believe.

Esha tries to get Lucy to ease up on the giggling. Nori is not amused. This was going to take more than a chit chat to get Lucy to trust in their tale. Esha can't take the long route, so she grabs Lucy's hand and connects psychically. She shares images and feelings of her and her sister's long past, their losses and the long search till now. Esha gives an insight to their connection to Bonnie and the aspirations for a better future for all witches. Nori watches, hoping the exchange doesn't overload Lucy. Such an intense trsnsfer could harm most witches, but since they are quasi relate, maybe it won't do as much damage. Nori cast her own spell, infusing Lucy with more protection. This needs to go off without a hitch.

Being a witch, good or bad, meant a life of sacrifice, big or bigger, likely ending with pain, bad or worse. A witch's life guaranteed that suffering would be undertaken. It was never explained why the gifted protectors of nature suffered in this way, abused by vampires, wolves and even spirits from beyond. And the Bennett lineage, all the way back to Qetsiyah, suffered the most. Lucy could see her end coming, sooner than later. Esha shows her a way to mend the fragmentations that have cursed the witchhood since its beginning and give balance. The doubts, the trails and sabotage that plagues witches at an unparalleled rate, would be reset. How could Lucy resist begin part of something like this. Her reflex answer was she could and to run. Always running. But this was a true opportunity to stop running. It was such an odd concept to behold

Lucy knows the feel of her cousin's life force, so it's not a trick that Esha is trying to pull. Her cousin's essence is alongside Esha and Nori's. She can't explain everything she is feeling, but she knows they don't mean her or her cousin harm. She relents some of her magical guard to feel a health spell nourishing her. She turns to the stoic sister. Nori shrugs. Lucy figures if they had wanted her dead, this was as good as any time, not pump her up with extra health. When the vision quest ends, she picks up her cell and places a call to Bonnie. It rings and goes into voicemail. She leaves a short message to call her immediately, it's urgent and she would try her again.

Lucy hits end on her cell. "Well she's not answering, so we're not going anywhere for the time being."

"Fine," Nori leans forward in her seat, "What's going on with Bonnie?"

"Well, she is being chased by the Armory and some ancient huntress name Rayna."

"And..." Esha chimes. While sharing in the vision quest, she sussed out Lucy's mind and sees a blockage that haunts her.

Lucy doesn't want to hesitate, and forces herself to stop chewing her bottom lip. "I think I know what the Armory wants." Her shoulders sags with the weight of her secret.

"You think?" Nori questions.

"I mean I had an encounter with the Armory a couple of years back, but I can't seem to really remember it all. I know it was bad and it scares me. I've tried every spell I could think of to get my memory back, but I haven't had much luck so far. Can you guys help?" Lucy tries to control the coiling fear, digging into her gut.

"It will be okay Lucy. Before we do any spell, we must prepare." Esha senses the dread to come for Lucy. Nori notes her sister's apprehension. With no Otherside, it may be almost impossible for typical witch to reach the beyond, but for them it was just slower. Whatever is hidden in Lucy Bennett psychic, it tingles against their magic, warning them to be careful where they tread. "Hey, let's not worry. Why don't you tell us about more about Bonnie for now."

Lucy's laugh fills the air again. She gets up, leaves the room and returns with glasses. Lucy flicks opens a cupboard and floats a couple of bottles of liquor over to the coffee table. "Not without a drink or two." With the snap of her finger, drinks start to pour.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Bonnie tries to make peace with the latest developments; convinced her face displays her cheating ways to Enzo. This was completely Damon's fault. Maybe it was entirely hers. The bond made it easy for her to reconnect, more than she would of liked. Damn him! She felt guilty and frustrated, but relieved. As she goes over the events in her head, it doesn't make her totally sad.

 _Bonnie tries to sever the bond with sheer will resulting in Damon's mocking smirk. It was simplistic to think a bond so complex could be snapped by one person willing it. All powerful Bennett, her ass. She can't keeping staring into the abyss of his icy blues. She not sure what to do next to make the maundering end. But in the next instance, she and Damon are on opposite ends of a leather couch. It's the library at the Boarding House, and a fire is going. She knew their bodies were in the cottage, but their minds got pulled into another shared fantasy._

 _"_ _Why are we here?" Bonnie feels the light of the flame, but barely any heat. There's a throw in the middle of the couch, so she shimmies over. Damon spots it too, flashes over and holds it onto it, waiting for her to get there._

 _"_ _I was thinking about it. I assume you were being open." She ticks an eyebrow up in doubt. "What can I do? I'm a brilliant idiot. That's been well established."_

 _She is trying not to get closer than she has to. "_ _Give me the blanket."_

 _"_ _This lonely blanket right here?" He holds it up to his cheek, hoping to get her nearer._

 _"_ _Dam-" Hopes to retreat quickly will not works out with Damon distracting her._

 _"_ _Here lil' bird, don't want you to freeze." He wraps it around her and she relishes it. Get a grip Bennett. "I know you having a hard time trusting me, but can you at least trust I will get you through this? "_

 _"_ _Damon you left. I don't know why I thought you would never hurt me like that."_

 _"_ _I left to keep you safe BonBon. I'm not safe."_

 _"_ _You keep saying that. What does that mean?" She can see he is struggling, but it's not enough to sway her from saying her piece. "You can't do this to me. You tell me you care and do the opposite of that. What are you playing at? What! I lov... care... I cared for you Damon. I trusted you. You were my Clyde!" Bonnie bellows. Damon bows his head and goes mute. "You ghost for three years and come back proclaiming what!?" She pounds her fist against his chest, releasing it all for him to feel._

 _When she's done, he lifts his head up to look at her, attempting to speak, but fails. He leans close and closer, landing on top of her head, where perches his chin and holds her for a bit. When he moves again, he kisses the top her head. Then he contemplates his next move and decides to nip the tip of her button nose. He pulls back, to gaze at his sweet witch's face cradled in his hands, confusion sets off like fireworks across her face; she has not pulled away. He surrenders to call of her velvet lips and presses his lips softly into hers and she drowns._

 _She joins in tug of war of their steamy kiss, slowly burrowing her hands into his sides. His fingers trace her clavicle, kneading up then her neck, and softly stroking down. Her magic is smiling at the relief sweeping across her form. Her nails dig into his chest and he growls softly in approval. She feels the tip of his tongue, trying to slide past her lips. Should she grant entry, but doubt forces her to take a breath, kicking herself out of the trance entirely, reeling at what she's done. She pushes Damon back and holding him in place with one hand, in utter shock. Oh no. No! no!_

At some point Enzo came back to find them, further complicating things. She's trying to sort out the mess of feelings, as it bounces from one train of thought to another. She's in trouble and hopes the knocking at the door is help. She opens it to find Care. She's thankful the Goddesses has decided to answer.

"Hey, got back from contacting Ric; he's on his way here… Bonnie is everything okay? Damon is being weird. And Enzo keeps staring at Damon like he's trying to set him on fire."

"I had a fight with Enzo. Dreamworld is real. Damon kissed me. But Enzo doesn't know that. And the kiss was in dreamworld. You are caught up."

"Oh my god Bonnie."

"I know, I know."

Care sees the flush of embarrassment on Bonnie, but she will not judge. She will support her no matter what. "It's ok. Just talk to me."

"Damon and I are magically linked. We can talk, connect to the other's emotions and visit each other's dreams. The dreams were not all fiction. He was there this whole time Care, and I didn't realize it. And we had this huge realization together, kinda fried our collective brain pans, resulting in the kiss." Bonnie manages to expel all the points in one haphazard breath.

"Holy shit, you're in each other's head? That's intimate." Bonnie avoids looking her in the eyes. "Yeah, we can say this discovery was mind blowing, but kissing is a very specific response." Care would have waited for Bonnie to respond without a prompt, but they couldn't beat around the brush any longer. She dips low to catch Bonnie's eye. "Honey, how did it feel?"

"I'm with Enzo."

"Bonnie, don't do this to yourself. Was it bad?"

"No," she whispers "I fell. Exactly the opposite of what I should to be doing."

"Should be, 'if only' are statements that will drive you crazy with doubt. It happened. Now you deal."

"I don't know why he did."

"Why did you do it?"

"I didn't do it as much as I was going with it?" Bonnie giggles "This is stupid."

"Nope, we are not doing that; we're not shoving this off. No high road or 'for the good' shit. No filters. Be honest. Dish." In the middle of all this chaos they are going to do girl talk.

"I went with it Care. The moment I touched his lips I turned into a slut."

"We are reserving judgement till way, way later, period. You're not a slut. It was a kiss. Any tongue?"

"No Care, no!" The girly protest a little much. "But for a second I wanted to devour him and have him do the same to me. If I hadn't taken a breath I would of… stay. Stay with Elena's boyfriend. And I'm with Enzo. I don't do this kind of drama Care."

"Bonnie, I love you, but relationships were never your strong point. I've watched you twist into a pretzel to be worthy. You're generous and humble, but I swear Bonnie you could be more selfishness. I'm sorry Elena is asleep, but she is asleep. Things changes, things don't and for that reason it is hard to nail down the future. You need to live in the now."

"Kissing one man while dating another is 'living'?"

"Yup. It happens and you're not the first. In fact I believe between me and Elena, we hit high double digits. This is not the betrayal you believe it is. You enjoyed it Bonnie and it's not the end of the world. And you are not as convoluted as me and Ric and Stefan. Why Damon did this is a conversation to pursue. Not everything has to be solved now. But don't ignore this."

"Thanks Care." Bonnie hugs her friend. "I was worried about being crazy and failing basic human decency. I just need to set some guidelines for Damon, till we can talk at a more appropriate time. Now Enzo, I'm not sure what to do with him." She starts to play with the ring.

"What's wrong with him?"

Bonnie gave her the cliff notes version of what happen when Enzo entered the cottage, finding Damon there with her and the plan to meet Rayna. Bonnie finishes her story with, "He went total caveman Care.

"If he's not respecting you, maybe now is the time to cut him."

"We need all the help we can get."

"Do we really need his help?

"Care, we are going up against the Armory, and Rayna, and god knows what else might show up because Mystic Falls folks have gathered together in one spot. I think we can use the all backup we can get. Don't worry, Enzo will back me. He wants me to be happy Care."

"Ok Bonnie. I'll follow your lead. However, if Enzo gets out of line, I will remove his head promptly. Deal?"

Bonnie hugs Care on it. "Deal."

* * *

Enzo doesn't keep his burning glare off of Damon; no point in any modesty or coyness. Damon had done serious damage, making Enzo's lip service to Alex earlier, moot. When he called her with a progress report, it was not a happy exchange. She was stunned to hear about Damon's return. Enzo assured her his relationship with Bonnie was stronger than that of Damon's. She was not please to find out that the witch knew the semi-famous Salvatore and it got worse when she heard Bonnie was getting numbers for future fights. At this point Alex didn't hide her chagrin with Enzo. Now he would have to tell her of the meet up to take place with Rayna.

For all the posturing, he hadn't sealed the deal with Bonnie being his mate. He placed the blame squarely on Damon's shoulders. He didn't tell Alex that. He'd be damned before he let Bonnie elude him. However, the news doesn't stop. Alex tells him of Alaric's visit and his questions about their genealogy. Alex strongly suggest for him to bring Bonnie in soon. He tells her that it's going to be tricky, but it's doable. That's changed now that Bonnie is more reluctant to anything he may suggest; with so many whispering in her ear, he's going to be less influential.

He goes over the reasons not to stake everyone right now and what his ultimate goal is. He wants his witch dutifully by his side. Thanks to losing his temper, he made Damon look good, distancing himself from that goal. Not one of his better plays. He sees now he's going to have to gently force Bonnie to her brighter future. She's being difficult and not seeing the big picture. He would have to swallow his pride and call Alex for help. One way or another Bonnie was coming with him in the next twenty fours. In no time, she would be his.

* * *

Damon glances up from his pacing to see Enzo giving him the death stare. He has a bad feeling about him, but ignores him for now. Bonnie is an amazing woman and you have to be an imbecile not to see that. Unfortunately he is one. He can't believe he thought it was a good idea to leave her. He can't stop commiserating the kiss. He glances up again to find Enzo still sneering at him out in the open, and Damon has had enough. He starts a slow walking towards Enzo only to have Stefan step in his path.

"I'll give you credit Damon for not going off the rails sooner."

"Awww, thank you Steffy. Did I do good?"

"Damon, going over there will not help matters at all. How about a drive?"

"Stefan, I don't-"

"You need a break and maybe a better locale will help with that call."

"Short drive, not far. I don't trust him." Damon says it loud enough for Enzo to hear.

The brothers go to their car and get in, Stefan drives. Damon's pensive face increases the further from Bonnie he gets. Stefan swears his brother may leap out of the car and run back.

"Damon we are not going far. Just at the gas station at the top of the hill. She will be fine."

"Don't, ok."

"Damon, I know you would rather fight than talk, but I'm here if you want to. This thing between you and Bonnie is not as hidden as you may think."

"Dear little brother, you are nosiness continues fails you and piss me off. What do you think you know?"

"Something happened to get Enzo so wound up. Despite everything going on, you look happier than you ever have when you finish talking to Bonnie. You would think you are on a blood bender, but that's not it. Did you guys make out?" Stefan thought he had whiffed Bonnie on him earlier, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Stefan if you value all your parts, you will not repeat that to Caroline. Do you hear me?" Having Caroline hunting for him would only make things harder between him and Bonnie. He didn't want to give her another reason to cut him off completely.

"You did!" Stefan laughs at his older brother's discomfort.

"Ok, ok - I kissed her. Now, want to tell how me why I did something so stupid.?"

"You don't know why? We could play this game or I give you real council. Simply put, your relationship with Bonnie changed you. For the better. I think it scares you because Elena is suppose to be the love of your life. If you don't figure this out, you may hurt any chance you can have with Bonnie."

"Well thank you Dr. Phil. Do I get to go to rehab?"

"I'm just saying Damon. The rest is up to you."

"Then shut it already, I-", the trashing of his baby brother comes to a halt as his cell goes off. "Pull over. Don't say shit while I'm on this call." He answers the number he's been waiting for since he awoken to this disaster. "Hey."

"I hear you want to talk Senor Salvatore."

"That, and more Senor Dzal. I need you to get to Virginia, I'll pay any price. I-"

"Now, wait just a minute. You made and cancelled an appointment three years ago. What's the hurry now?"

"I would say now it's more lucrative for you."

"Your sweet talk of monies will get you nowhere with me. What else you got? Surely you're not empty already? It would be a pity, but maybe you're not the vampy you think you are."

"Senor Dzal, what do you want? Tell me and I'll see you'll get it."

"No, no Senor, you tell me truth, give an offering and I'll see if you can get what you want. You want to play, let's play."

"I have no interest in games. I'm trying to keep my best friend alive and whatever I have is yours."

"Funny, I remember the inquiry being about removing the mark from your brother."

"I have the mark, but that can wait. I want you to advocate on behalf of Rayna Cruz, the Huntress. I need her to not kill that best friend I mentioned before. She's a Bennett. You know, descendant of Quesiayah?" No reply came back. "Not sure what the issue is, but I don't give a fuck. Bonnie is the best person I know and it's better to have her in the world breathing than as fertilizer. Like I said before, whatever I have is yours."

"Ok, ok Senor Salvatore; let me see what I can do. Beware I'm not the one that needs payment, the spirits do. For now, stay the course."

"Wait, wait! We must meet with Rayna as soon as possible. I don't have magical doggery to keep her waiting. My friend may have even less time."

"Senor if you want this done right, I have to get going. Set up the meet time with Rayna for the witching hour tonight. I'll text you with the location shortly. Cautionary reminder, the price is the price, maybe making it steep for you vampire." Damon is not thrown by that, but is still slightly confused by travel arrangements.

"Wait a minute are you planning to appear like Houdini or make us pop out of a top hat?"

"Who says I'm not where I'm supposed to be. You have other things to worry about Senor Salvatore. If I were you, I would attend to them immediately." And with that Senor Dzal hangs up.

"What have you done Damon?" Stefan knows his brother, and rash is always an option.

"Get us back to the cottages. It time to fill Bonnie in about the deal with Rayna and the Shaman."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Ric followed Caroline directions to the cottages discreetly located between Grove Hill and Mystic Falls. She notices him pulling up as she paces the veranda. She flashes over. She gives him a welcoming hug as he steps out of the car.

"Hey, missed you too." Ric pecks her on the cheek.

"I talked to the girls. They are having fun with Uncle Matty."

He doesn't want to beat around the bush. "Why are we here Caroline?"

"We're working together to fix this." Care gives Ric a quick overview of how things have progressed with helping Bonnie. He is thrown at hearing the half-baked plan to meet Rayna again. "I didn't go, but Damon and Stefan did and Bonnie and Enzo showed up. Not before Damon struck some deal with Rayna. Bonnie needs to know what you found out about the Armory." As the words tumble out of Caroline mouth, calamity is too close for his comfort.

"We can give our support, but we should be getting back to the girls." Care unravels herself from Ric's arms. She is getting upset with his off putting attitude. It's time to confront him.

"Ric, we have to back Bonnie up. I thought I was getting through to you. I'm vampire. You are a slayer. Our girls are witches. Do you see the common denominator? It's magic. I'm not trying to hurt you or put our girls in danger, but this is part of us. You can't be this angry Ric. Hating a core part of the people you love, will push us away."

"We were happy Caroline, everything was fine."

"We were happy, but everything was not fine Ric. I let you believe for three years that all our troubles would stop if there was no mystical aspect to our lives and that's wrong. It's foolish to pretend, especially with Gemini twins in our care."

"The girls' safety should be our number one priority. If we are cautions, they have a chance of living normal lives."

"We were hiding long before Rayna showed up and it won't work because the girls aren't normal. I don't want to rush the girls into anything, but I don't want them to live a life in fear. There has to be balance. Things needs to change. Please Ric, do it for the girls."

Even as a young vampire, Caroline is an idealist. Ric believe he's rightfully blamed the supernatural solely for the misfortune and pain that has befallen his love ones. The mountain of loss, is not one he is willing to add to. He's has to be careful of the landmines in this conversation. Practicality was not always Caroline's strong suit. He's going to do whatever was needed to protect his ladies.

"Please, let's take this slow." Ric says lowly. She's not looking satisfied in the rickety compromised reached. Neither was he. They stand in the uncomfortable silence, but for now he got himself a small reprieve.

Dust billows from the GTO in the distance, as a car drives towards Care and Ric, getting increasingly bigger. It's Stefan and Damon. She texts Bonnie of all parties arrival. She gets one back; everyone is to go to Bonnie's cottage since it's already spelled for privacy. It's time.

"I heard your're awake and I had to see it myself." Ric accuses Damon as goes in for a shake and a hug. He misses his miserable friend. He frowns as he can tell his old friend is keyed up and ready to go. Damon would be of no help in his efforts to keep his family out of harm's way.

"Seeing is believing old man. Heard you're a suburbanite now?" Damon chuckles as he takes a good look at Ric. He looks reserve and more weighted. He was hoping his old friend would be up for one more round. Damon was just not sure how to convince him of the quest. Ric looks burnout.

"I'm a father now Damon. Lots of responsibility. I'm just here to help with some info."

"Sounds like your making excuses already."

"Guys, we are not starting anything. We are all going to speak to Bonnie. Now." Caroline left no room for argument. Enzo was already at the door, entering the cottage. She marches forward, only giving a slight nod to Stefan. She grabs Rick's arm and off the gang goes' to try to work together again.

* * *

Enzo watches as the Mystic Falls gang gets one more member. This had to stop. With his luck Elena would walk through the door. At least Bonnie hadn't bolted from him, nor had she taken the ring off. He makes sure his cell is charging and puts hers in airplane mode. He needs these fools to tell him what the hell is going on so can get rid of them. He looks over to see Bonnie is ready to speak.

"Everyone thank you for coming. I not sure exactly what's going on, but that's why we are here." Enzo has put his hands on her shoulders. She doesn't want to make her discomfort the focus or cause a fight, but the words are stuck in her throat. She also trying to control the reaction echoing on the link with Damon. She darts her eyes to Caroline, praying she picks up her pleas and saves her. Luckily Care is no stupid blonde and steps in.

"Ok, we have two fronts to fight; the Armory and Rayna. Alaric visited with the Armory earlier. He is going to fill us in on what happened. " Care turns to Ric and waits for him to explain

"Well, I talked to Alex St. John, leader of the Armory. I believe this has been a huge misunderstanding. Don't get me wrong, the Armory could have used more diplomacy. They didn't use the best judgement trying to capture you. I think I can help broker a truce that both parties can live with. They need your expertises Bonnie."

The group is stunned. Ric is using diplomacy and Enzo is just happy something going his way, so he'll ride this out. Caroline regrets not talk to Ric before the meeting. She knows some details of Bonnie's encounters with the Armory and overly aggressive didn't begin to describe how bad the Armory is. Stefan realizes Ric is out of touch with current events or in denial. The Armory is dangerous, and not to be trusted; Valarie's death was proof of that. Damon glares at Ric's hesitation as a show of cowardice. Bonnie can read the quarrel that will collapse the group from within, if she doesn't respond quickly.

"Ric, they have been hunting me. They haven't offered an invite or tried talking fairly. They only hunt me." Bonnie does her best to keep her voice calm and steady.

Ric is desperate for the witch to keep his family out of her business. "Bonnie, I know how it looks. Like I said, they were going about it all wrong." He sees his response is not going over well. "I can make sure your safety is assured."

"Old friend, has daddy-hood addled your brain? They are looking to do harm." Damon scoffs as Stefan holds him back discreetly.

"Her reputation as witch is not warm and fuzzy. She has ancient magic and she has used expression. I'm sorry Bonnie, but you can be a liability. I don't have details of the Armory's crisis, but the greater good of humanity is at stake. Why not talk to them?" Bonnie is deflated by Ric's outlook. His actions expose his belief that the ultimate fault lies with her. Care is trying not to snap at Ric, but she can't hold her tongue.

"Ric, how is sacrificing Bonnie helping her?"

"Caroline this is not a sacrifice. Call it consulting. Just talking Bonnie, I swear." Enzo is grateful for Ric's gullibility. He obviously has ulterior motives and it's not masked that well. But he has made some valid points and Enzo believes he can build on that.

"Love, why not try and talk this out with them? It would be better than fighting them. If this can be done peacefully, why not? Lessen the fight." Enzo can see her wavering. She's fool-hardy to do the right thing and that will work to his advantage.

"Are you crazy Enzo? The Armory?" Damon fumes.

"I'm sorry does someone have a better idea? Or are we suppose to fight both enemies? How about we do it at the same time?" Enzo spits back.

"Wait." Bonnie interrupts. "Talking never hurt and if we can avoid another fight, then why not? You can set that up Ric." Enzo can see the finish line clear as day now. Getting her to the Armory will be simple.

"As long as it's a later date buddy because tonight we got plans. At the witching hour, we meet a shaman, and stop Rayna's itch to kill you." Damon pipes up, with a wink at Bonnie.

"So let me get this straight, we are meeting a vampire huntress who wants to kill Bonnie and you see no problem with this? You are leading her into danger. This is about saving your brother from the mark, not Bonnie." Enzo booms.

"You mean this mark Enzo?" Damon opens his shirt to show the mark. "And before you accuse me, it's not part of the deal." Enzo doesn't think his finish line could be burnt to ash, and then ta-da. All advantages and extras gone. Damon steps to Bonnie and takes her hands in his. "This is a chance for you to get answers and the best way to keep you safe. And since we are in a no fighting mood, there's a truce in effect while we contact the spirits. It's no more dangerous than taking a meeting with the Armory. We will have to get going soon." And just like that Enzo sees red and nothing else for silent minute, but he must force himself to calm down. Fuck Damon.

"Bonnie, I know I'm the last person you may want to hear from", Stefan confesses, "But there's a chance. Rayna is desperate not to harm you. She says the Armory did something. If we fix this, we may get the leverage needed to deal with the Armory." He side-eye Ric as he tells Bonnie what Rayna said and untangles her hands from Damon's.

"Ok, ok, give Bonnie a second. We need a little time to process. We owe her that." Enzo needs to slow this speeding wreck as much as possible. He needs her alone and everyone else gone. "Can we talk?" He sees her hesitation and adds, "I won't take long. I know you have a lot to think about."

Bonnie can think of no reason to continue the meeting or discuss. Really this all comes down to her. She wants to check-in with Enzo and figure out where his head is at. So far no major flags come up, but you never know. In the end, its always on her.

"Enzo is right; I do need a moment before I go off and accept or deny anything. I won't be long."

"I'll see you later. Let's go Ric." Caroline was not sure what Ric is playing at, as she tugs him out the door. His whole attitude towards Bonnie, embarrassed her. He blames Bonnie for all her recent troubles. More worrisome was his idealist view of the Armory and the solution they presented. As for Ric, he had sensed the shift in the room the moment he finished his pitch. No one seem to agree from the looks of it, except Enzo. Now he and Caroline were about to have a stern and uncomfortable conversation.

* * *

Esha and Nori are slightly buzzed. Liquor and joints were fuel in the unblocking of Lucy's concealed memories. It was a slightly unorthodox method of extraction, but their whole existence is unorthodox. Lucy had finished telling them tales of Bonnie. Both sisters wanted to question her alliances and her own self preservation, then thought of their own past journeys, containing their sins. They also found out she was the anchor for a year and always trying her very best for all. Bonnie was a professional martyr.

The sisters put last pieces of their centerpiece in place, that would lend to protection and guidance while they broke into Lucy's mind, within the sacred circle they sit in. The sisters were sure the memory was there and the block was magical. With all three of them consulting within a protected orbit, their questions should be answered. The women nod at each other, to acknowledge the willingness to go forward with the spell at hand. As lemongrass burns in a bronze bowl in the center, Lucy is enveloped by the smoke. She breaths out, hoping not for the last time, and inhales to start.

 _Lucy wakes with a start on a marble floor, in front of a lavish ornate door and she's scared shitless. She knows she's been kidnapped when she locks eyes with Virginia St. John; putting her in the one place she never on wanted to step foot in or on the Armory. She heard the warnings while growing up and stayed away. These invaders were on consecrated witches ground, believing themselves to be stewards to all mystical while perverting it. If this is her end, she will go out fighting_. _**My rancid shadow permeates…**_

 _Virginia signals two minions to pick Lucy up. She tries to fight them, but finds they are also witches. One has one of her arms out stretched to pressing her palm onto the door. It burns making Lucy scream and thrash from the pain, but the minions make her stay. She feels the absolute evil trying to get out of a minor fracture in the seal. Lucy knew she could not open it, so she tries to reseal the door. The minions attempt to fight her spell play, but she is a Bennett and sacrifice is in their DNA. **Your aversion taste sweet...**_

 _The minions are weak and inexperience, letting themselves put their own hands on the door to siphon power, but they get absorbed instead. Lucy is dropped from their clutches and finishes her spell from the floor. Virginia starts to run at her, but the backlash of the imperfect seal knocks them back from the door and down the hallway. Lucy wobbles up to stand and stumbles to the nearest door, then another, maybe another, and she runs. **I'll never leave…**_

Nori breaks the trance and shoots up. Lucy freaks because the transition was so sudden leaving her shaking in Esha's care.

"There was something else there. It was living in my head." Lucy wails.

"It's okay. No more block, no foreign entities in your head, I promise. Shhhh. It's fine Lucy." Esha coos at her and rubs her back.

"It's not." Lucy cries softly in Esha's neck. Esha sees Nori staring off in the distance like she did when she was first entombed herself.

"Nori? Nori… what is it? Please sister. Together." As Esha comforts Lucy, she reminds her big sister of yearnings of change for the better, to a new hope. Nori sighs and turns to her sister.

"That smell, I'll never forget that smell. It's the same when we found Kimi." Nori knows now is not the time to fall apart, but Esha needs to know how serious it is. "Lucy, I'm sorry." She caresses her, giving her a bit of her life force. "We need to find Bonnie right now."

Lucy can feel their urgency as it screams from their auras. She points to her cell and Nori brings it to her. Lucy sees her message has not been returned and tries calling again. It keeps going to voicemail.

"Do you have something of Bonnie's?" Esha inquires. Lucy points out a bracelet Bonnie gifted her, hanging inconspicuously in the window as a light catcher of sorts. Nori grabs it and tosses it to Esha. She throws it above her head. It hovers above her spinning, then stops and drops into her hand. "I've made the bracelet our own Bonnie compass. Pack what you need Lucy. We're going on a road trip."


	13. Chapter 12

**Hi again,**

 **To anyone who liked, noted or gave me a personal response, thank you very much. I'm glad you like it. It was the needed 'pick me up' as I broke my leg massively. Lots of bed-rest, that recently ended. I did manage to write an entire first draft, but I was on a lot of morphine, gibberish was abundant. Its being worked out. For now, here's what I got.**

* * *

Enzo has minutes to check the phones while Bonnie is in the bathroom. Nothing on his, but hers has a pile of messages from one person. There's no way he would have Lucy Bennett join the battle. He erases the messages and blocks her cousin's number. He would have to distract Bonnie from her semi-working cell. He pats his jacket pocket for the needleless-injector Alex gave him, to sedate Bonnie with. He protested at first, but he's warming up to it now. His time with Bonnie mocks as a dalliance, and that won't do. Every relationship has its bumps, so a little help may be key. He removes his hand from his pocket and waits for whatever may come next.

Bonnie emerges to see Enzo waiting for her. She reminds herself to be diplomatic and cordial. Try to hear him out.

"Hey Enzo." Her flat voice didn't sound very assuring.

"Luv, I'm here to help." He picks up on her tone. "Do you know what you're going to do?"

"I'm not sure." She couldn't push herself to give him more of an effort.

"If you don't feel like talking, it's ok. I'll leave you to think, but I'm hoping I'm still your official backup."

Bonnie doesn't want to do a deep introspection at this moment, but she doesn't want to string him along either. Enzo genuinely supported her until recently. The gentle second guessing is peppered with discourses of late. Its grating and she doesn't want to snap at him… funny, the concern she shows for other's free will, while hers is maligned. And that's why talking now, isn't going to work. So she happily, and cowardly, chooses to put relationship talk on hold until after dealing with Rayna.

"Enzo, I need answers. Will you help me when I ask?"

Enzo internally cringes; she slips further and further away from him. Acting as though she's offering an olive branch, but she's trying to manage him to the outskirts. The regression of their relationship needs to be halted. Her "friends" had encroached on their great love story. Thankfully with a little reorientation help from the Armory, their love would be cemented. Within twenty-four hours, they would start their new regal lives together.

"I love you, I support you and I'll be back." Enzo pecks her lips, the ring and then exits.

Bonnie is relieved that went off without a hitch, but he had to be itching to suggest something. He could've finally realized other finesses were needed for current dire circumstance. Or he'd admonish her nicely later. Right now, she needed to make a decision. She runs down the points brought forth in the meeting. Good points are meeting with Rayna, the Armory and the numbers for backup. Bad points are meeting Rayna or the Armory and whom the backup consisted of. Quandaries like this is common fair for a witches; never many good choices, but penance usually waited for witches to pay. And somehow she was to achieve the greater good, with no clue as to what it was or how to get there.

To be a good witch, Bonnie believes one must accept it's asking for a world trouble. The path is treacherous, but worse for Bennetts. Her drastic tutelage back into the craft made it impractical for her to carry on a carefree teenage existence. She tempered performing on demand with the potential disastrous outcomes. And any mistakes, impacted on her every fiber, marking another tick against her. She's mindful of it all. But her biggest worriment in this time of uncertainty is not herself, but Damon.

Personal sacrifices were a staple of her life. As a professional martyr, she embraced her ensuing death like a warm hug. She would go to the ends of the earth to save those she loved, even if it included the unworthy. Sitting by and letting the world end or be viciously marred while she had the power to stop it, wasn't in her code. However, her stay in the Bennett prison world showed her the errors of her rigid standards. And the lack of reciprocity made it easier for her to pull back from the virtuous savior mode. Her ancestors, starting with Emily, didn't mind using her to foil living world schemes, despite it resulting in her becoming an unnatural's midnight snack. Losing her mom, her Grams, her mom again, and then her dad, left her open to be cajoled by the guilt of never being abundantly powerful enough when needed. The shame erases any chance for her to mourn. She accepts and moves on, Bonnie's legitimately earned sadness burdens no one. It's still mind-boggling that Elena got a letter of apology from Elijah for any inconvenience, yet no recognition paid for Abby Bennett's passing. But this proclaims to be the price because she must be the better person, like her ancestors before her.

With Damon exchanging his life for her survival, her responsibility to be sole savior is alleviated. Anger for what he did three years ago now feigns less importance than him never being near her again. She tries to caution herself that she's filler till Elena wakes, but Bonnie knows this is a lie. If she's honest, their friendship had crossed the line years ago, but they mutually ignore the bubbling between them that got worse with Elena's absence. The choices she made for the last three years, he supported her, even if he hated it. Goddammit, he does put her first; it just wasn't always to her liking. Her magic perks up in giddiness, as she accepted this bitter truth and Bonnie's surprised to find an old familiar sparkle tickling. This flickering boost settles what she must do next.

* * *

Let nothing else spring up, Enzo bemoans to himself, almost crushing his phone. Not even twenty minutes later, Bonnie sent a mass text for her intention to play chicken with Rayna tonight. He glances upon the Mystic Falls gang and must reign in the urge to divest them of their hearts. With a cumbersome sigh, he knows he needs to contact Alex. He'll have to admit he's stumbled at something he swore up and down he could easily handle. Damon's arrival has proven tricky, but Alex would simply call it failure. He flashes away from the interlopers to get some privacy to text.

As he dashes deeper into the brush, he goes over his moments with Bonnie, before things derailed. The life he missed out on was coming to fruition. Then a blue-eyed devil appeared, no longer settling for Petrova doppelganger. He couldn't let Bonnie leave him now; she's his missing piece. Enzo fingers the injection pen and smiles maniacally. The madness of obsession ensnares all his senses. All he has to do is get her away from these frauds. He refused to share her any longer than necessary. Also, He didn't doubt his cousin would demote or worse him if he didn't deliver Bonnie. He had to make this work.

 _Alex, send reinforcements – they're planning to meet Rayna tonight – must put a stop to this. ~E_

 _Sending reinforcements to assist with witch. Location?_ _~A_

 _Sending coordinates of current location - Have team follow us - Bonnie will be ready to coming home with us tonight. ~E_

Alex glances at the last message. She's lost hope her cousin could actually come through on his own and bring them the Bennett witch without assistance. Enzo's turning out to be more like his father. She's glad she listened to her instinct, three squads were at his last known location. They could not let Bonnie talk to Rayna or worse, team up. The St. John's ancestors had fought to keep possession of the Armory base since 1882, at a great cost to the family. Dalton St. John's attempt to access the ungodly power being held in a cave failed because of two things: he was ill prepared and a Bennett witch. Ever since, no one could complete the mission because of the seal around the cave, so a doorway was built in front of it. Now closer than ever to opening the vault, the Armory would take its rightful place among the powerful, no longer dismissed to the fringes, with Alex St. John at the helm. And Bonnie Bennett would be the added bonus to bring favor to the Armory or the blood of its enemies.

* * *

Ric can tell Caroline is pissed. She nearly takes a chunk of skin as she escorts him out of the meeting. He wanted to be straightforward and honest. He does regret not prepping her more before the meeting took place. She's still dragging him across the lawn, when he speaks her name with enough force that she comes to an abrupt stop.

"What you alluded about Bonnie was cruel. And definitely off script from what we discussed earlier." Caroline snaps.

"It needed to be said."

"I'm not even sure who you are anymore. Do you really believe in the Armory's integrity that strongly?"

"Caroline, it's safer for everyone if Bonnie-"

"Bonnie is not taking the brunt of this! I said together Ric, together." She shakes her interlaced fingers at him in exasperation.

The Salvatores are on the other side of the clearing. Damon phones Rayna to inform her of the time of the meet. She demands to speak to the shaman; she's skeptical. He rushes her off the phone with promises of a text soon. His attention is called away to two things: Bonnie texted a go for tonight and the suburbanite parents are having a heated disagreement. The brothers can't help but to hear them air their grievances about current affairs. Stefan is not completely shocked at the callousness of Ric, noting his harder edge. For Damon, there's no stopping him from joining the conversation about Bonnie's generosity and Ric's obtuseness. It was time to school selfish shitbag.

"Sounds like dodging to me. Why lift a finger when you can use Bonnie and save yourself the trouble." Damon interjects from thin air. Bonnie feels his anger and he shuts her out. He's learning he also can shut the link down too. She's got enough on her plate. He's got a lot of making up to do and every bit helps.

"Private conversation Salvatore." Ric fumes.

"No need to hide your cowardice. It's on full display." Damon taunts.

"I'm keeping my family safe. You wouldn't know anything about that since you've been trying to kill your own brother since the 1800's." Ric returns.

"Bonnie deserves better people than us as her friends. When I left three years ago, I thought I was leaving her with better. Fuck, was I wrong about you." Damon registers his complaint with force.

"Well, you left her, so she wasn't that big of a deal."

Damon gets right into Ric's face without hesitation. Stefan tries to tug his brother back. Caroline wedges herself between indignant human and seething vampire.

"So, you're gonna purposely fuck her over? Did you forget how many times she's saved us? The girls?" Damon raves.

"She's always the cause. She's a curse!" Ric immediately regrets the passionate declaration, knowing how Caroline will react. The look on her face is bad. She zooms off, leaving three bodies' to jostle for dominance.

Damon tracks Caroline's departure. "You won't keep her much longer."

"You won't get Bonnie back." sneers Ric.

"That's enough." Stefan breaks up the scuttle.

"You're going to sooth Caroline's troubled soul?" Ric could care less if he's officially challenging two vampires. He would not put up with Stefan 'brooding' his eyebrows at Caroline and brush it off as honorable. As for Stefan, he wouldn't take the bait.

"No Ric. You are. There is still some more planning to be done, and we can handle that. Truce?"

Ric turns away without answering and starts towards where Caroline sprinted off to.

Stefan keeps his hand firmly on Damon's chest till Ric disappears from view. "He's your friend, don't kill him."

"Not anymore. I don't' want to hear any bullshit excuses. Bonnie has paid enough. So fuck Ric. Fuck anyone that tries to hurt her. This is a 'Save Bonnie' event. I'll gladly lose him, any of you before-"

"Ok, ok," Stefan removes his hand, smiling at his dense big brother, "Reminder: you turned his wife. And screwed her." He gives him second for that to sink in, which deflates the irked vampire a bit. "So you are willing do whatever it takes to save the woman you love." Stefan quips with a small smile.

"Stefan." Damon grumbles as his little brother pitches forth.

"I think you need to admit your feelings or your devotion will kill us all because you can't imagine you are in-"

Damon won't let him finish that sentence. "She's my best friend. A savior that's one of the greatest wonders of the world. I'm trying to be a better friend above all else." Damon rebuts his little brother vigorously.

"And the kiss?" Stefan seizes on his brother's lack of response. "You've moved heaven and earth for Bonnie numerous times. You are happy, and let's not ignore, stable-ish with her. You are not unworthy of her love. But if you keep denying yourself because of your past issues, you will regret this. Damon, you haven't once mentioned Elena since you've awoken."

The conversation pauses when Damon's cell rings. It's Senor Dzal. Damon tells him of Rayna's request and the shaman agrees to it, so Damon texts him her number. The location is set, with instructions to be doled out like a mystical geocaching. It was a step closer to keeping Bonnie safe. He's looking forward to making it up to her, starting with bourbons by the fire; he just hopes her favorite throw is still folded in the cupboard at the boarding house. It hums on the link that something is going right. Bonnie's pleased that he's pleased, and with that he's satisfied. It's at the end of the call Damon's epiphany kicks in, but there's no way in hell he's going in depth about that with baby brother. The irrefutable truth is he's in love with Bonnie. One interdimensional kiss had him floating with hope like some gallant shining knight; he's literally doing a quest for love. He doesn't want to deny her or himself anymore, but could he be brave enough? There was no time like the present to find out.

"Well, Senor Dzal found a place for our little shindig. Gather everyone to the cars. I'm going to get my witch." Damon flashes away to the direction of Bonnie's cabin, never realizing his verbal faux pas. Stefan hopes the star crossed lovers can finally get on the same path, and he heads off in the direction of Care and Ric.

* * *

Meanwhile three women attempted to raise Bonnie via any communication they can access in an automobile spelled for speed. The missing witch's cell had collect a large cache of messages from Lucy, was now blocking her. It was only prudent after that happened to reach out to others to see if they knew where her cousin could be. Lucy's first call was to Caroline. She got no response. Care's quasi-stepford hubby, Alaric, had not picked up either. So she tried the forever humble Matt Donavan.

"Hey, wondering if you know where my cousin is at?"

"I don't where she is, but I know she's with Caroline and Ric, doing something dangerous."

"What?" She presses the speaker mode so the two immortal sisters can listen in.

"Don't know the details. I do got the twins with me. Care called this morning to extend their stay. If everything goes smoothly, they should be back tomorrow." He chuckles wearily. Best laid plans never worked out well for these folks, him as well. He learned the hard way not to get involve or do as little as possible. "If I was a betting man, I think they would be near Mystic Falls. After all where else would trouble brew?" The flurry of phone calls of late, he suspects the next apocalypse is being primed and readied. Care had mentioned Bonnie, but he hadn't sincerely inquired. Was he her friend with limitations? No, he wouldn't turn his heart off to her and leave her hanging. "Luce, listen, I'll poke around and if I get anything, I'll give you a ring."

"Thanks Matt." Lucy presses end on the cell. She knows offering help is hard for him, but he let his love for Bonnie supersedes any resistance. Her cousin needs all the help she can get. She feels it in the air. It's like a weird vibrating countdown that's set only for Bennetts. Death, lots of deaths was coming. Lucy was running fast, only towards dangers instead of away. It's a new trippy reality.

"Well that's definitely not encouraging." Nori states the obvious. "Any vibes?" Esha has Bonnie's bracelet suspended in the middle of her palm. She whispers and it slants towards the expected location. Nori laughs. "Onward to the vacuous suckhole of Mystic Falls."


	14. Chapter 13

Damon finds Caroline standing at Bonnie's door, prepping to knock, but not doing so.

"Problem Blondie?"

"Lost demon?" She retorts, spoils for a fight, but the anger deflates as hastily as it rose. "I can't even." Care sidesteps him, conceding to go, only to have Damon tug her arm.

"Wait….please." He drops his hand off hers. "I'm sorry Caroline. For everything. I'm not asking for forgiveness. Maybe if everything works out, Rayna will kill me. I just want to help Bonnie. She deserves more than what she's been given. She can't die now. It would end me."

Caroline knows he is dead serious about his tether to Bonnie's existence. If one goes, the other follows. She sees his misery, but he reeks of determination. She wants to talk to Bonnie, but she's a harbinger on the eve of another battle. Bonnie doesn't need more consequences piled on. She needs support and as much as it pains her, Care can't give her that right now, but Damon can.

"Do right by her. If you can't, we're doomed." With that, Care starts to leave.

"Thank you. Listen, the meet's at three am. We need to get going now."

With a heavy sigh, Care yields to find Ric.

Damon eagerly knocks with the clear understanding that Bonnie is the solution to his heart. Maybe a tiny part of her heart needs him too. He'd fix the jumbo mess he's caused and become the champion she warrants. He's unafraid and ready. Plus Enzo is officially a wash, making now as good as time as any to seek her out. Bonnie promptly answers the door, stepping aside for Damon to enter.

"My guy called. We have a location. We need to get going."

"Where?"

"Senor Dzal is taking precautions, limited instructions. He says we are clashing with dark cabals, blah, blah, more cryptic stuff. He also gets to play broken telephone with Rayna. I'm sure somehow that will warrant another reason for her to kill me." Bonnie zings him for being so flippant. "Hey, hey. It'll be fine. You'll get some answer and be safer, from her at least."

"I'm not worried about me. Rayna has the option to kill you after you this ceremony. What the hell were you thinking? You crushed me for a sec, but I don't want you dead. Slightly tortured, but not dead. You need to survive... for Elena's sake." Bonnie cowardly covers her hesitation. Yeah she's a chicken shit.

Damon smiles softly at her, and strokes an errant wavy hair from her face. His calm exterior aids in ramping up her nervous trembling. He leans in close, grasping her hand onto his heart, looks her straight in the eyes.

"It's not like that anymore." he corrects, "You're all that matters."

"For now, sure. And what about when you runaway again?" Bonnie breaks away from his tempting grip. Choosing to disappear from her life, didn't speak highly of this immortal's rational. Wasn't one supposed to get wiser with age? She will acknowledge the colossal mind fuck Katherine Petrova Giuseppe Salvatore proved to be and the energies it takes to unbind from such perverse manipulations. She's garnered an impressive folio of hard knocks in her young life, leading to her own bad habits and shortcomings. Their link reflects their solidarity in that, but also their ability to be better than, especially with each other. She reminds herself he's not truly hers. But before she can get too far from him, Damon grabs her hand again.

"My ineptness at protecting you was not what I was going for, but that doesn't matter because I still hurt you. I'm sorry Bonnie. You've got a right to be angry. But it doesn't negate that you're a part of me and I care for you. I'll watch 'The Bodyguard' or happily paint your toenails. I'll bathe in blood of all who've crossed you, laughing as I go. I would risk it all to keep you safe. I need you, Bonnie." He can see the conflict in her face. She wants to trust him, her magic trusts him. How can he bridge this gap? "I felt whole in our dreamworld."

"You don't mean that. It's always Elena." Bonnie protest, as if she had the right she scolds herself.

"I know I made you feel that way. I wanted things to be safer for you. Better for you. The reality is that I'll never measure up to you." He pauses for the drama flair, "You're so short." Bonnie can't help the little giggle that escapes.

"God, you're an ass."

"And I love your ass."

Bonnie can't just stand here and flirt with him, crossing all sorts of lines. She's not that girl, she shouldn't be. Except she doesn't feel culpable, she's comfortable, unlike with Enzo of late. It doesn't help matters as Damon vibrates hints of their earlier kiss through the link. She knows he's not lying about anything he says, but there is something left unsaid. She can feel the importance of it burning to get out of him. She also readily recognizes her own hypocrisy; she's most likely in love with him and she's not exactly rushing to let him know the full story on her end.

Damon can feel Bonnie's ping ponging emotions. Yet she was more so happy about the kiss than guilty. He's over the moon that she's less uneasy than she states. His witch has a stubborn streak, as she keeps trying to put up Elena sized roadblocks, but he's coming exclusively for her. He knows Bonnie loves him deeply, hopefully beyond a friend? The possibility pushes him to do opposite of his usual repertoire. It's all coming together in this one moment. The doubts and fears dissipate, as he stands on the precipice. All he has to do is say he loves her.

The banging of the cabin door flying open causing them to part as Enzo walks in. The moment is upended. Bonnie forgoes investigating the impasse between them. She shifts her mindset to the current duty and anticipates maintaining the group peace. She telepaths to Damon that they will talk later, promise, but right now they got business to settle. Now is not the time to antagonize anyone.

Damon will have to hold his aggravation in because the follies before him are of his own making. He won't ram his confession through their link. He will give her the acknowledgement she deserves, face to face, no hiding, making her the focus. He loves her and only her, just as she is. He really did have crap timing. And whys that asshole smiling at him?

"I thought we had to go? Am I interrupting?" Enzo ask.

Damon wants to tell him yes. However, Bonnie wouldn't like that and he is trying, trying to lessen her distress. He has a pretty good feeling Bonnie will eventually be freed up from this British drip soon.

"No, good timing. We need to leave in a few minutes. So pack up and let's move out. You want to ride with me Bonster?" Yes, this was him trying to be reasonable. Damon knows the question and the nickname will bug Enzo to no end. The British asshat needed to remember his place.

"I have a ride." She emphasizes by catching Enzo's gaze. "Just get everyone ready. We'll be there in a sec." She scolds him through the link for teasing Enzo so. Damon saunters out the door. Enzo is eerily silent waiting for her to address him personally. "Enzo?"

"Thanks for telling him you got a ride. I'm trying to not let him get under my skin." He uses all his wits to sell the lie. He knows Bonnie has been confused with Damon's interference. The ex-bestie now comprehends how careless he was with the prize witch, but it was too late. Enzo is the one who loves her and he'll show them all how much. "Hey babe, do you know where we are going?" He wants Alex in place to take down Rayna and the shaman before they even reach.

"Sorry hon, the shaman is piecemealing details of the final destination." She tries to sound light.

"Well, we're all packed up and I can start taking the bags. Just one thing I need to do." Enzo takes her in his arms plying her with a hard kiss. A little aggressive to remind her of the thrills they have at times like these. She pulls back, surprised and unsure. He pulls her back in, blankets her mouth, while caressing her ass. The flurries of kisses on her face, mask a nip to her throat, releasing some of her blood, which he tongues sneakily. "It's okay Bonnie, I'm going to take care of you." He purrs.

"Ah, Enzo-" She's silenced with a parting peck.

"Meet you at the car." He leaves happy at his marking of Bonnie. She's a little distant, but she did cozy up some, and he can taste her desire. She wasn't leaving him. She was just unsure. He fingered the ring, loop on chain hanging on his chest. Alex warned of the disaster to descend if he wore the ring before Bonnie's magic was tempered, hence the injector. He's really done placating. He drops the ring and takes in a calming breath. A bit more patience and he would get what's rightfully his.

* * *

Caroline trudges towards the forest's edge, as Ric emerges from the bush. She is not sure how to proceed. She's ashamed of his behavior. What's more frightened is its potential effect on their little girls. She could not ignore this, but the timing couldn't be worse. Ric had a choice to make.

"Do you want to come?" Before he could answer, Care restates her question sternly. "Should you come?"

"How can you say that to me?"

"Don't even try that Ric. If you can't handle this, then don't bother. I'm going to help save my best friend, who been protecting our collective asses without hesitation." She abruptly walks away from Ric after she spits out the last word.

"Caroline, stop. CAROLINE!" She is not stopping, but she is not flashing away either. Ric runs to keep up. He's justified in what he said, but he doesn't want to lose Caroline like this. For now, he can help and keep Caroline safe from any blow back that Bonnie spontaneously or carelessly causes. "I'm coming, I'm not leaving you. And I'll do what I can for Bonnie."

"Fine. We leave now. Meet you at the car." She never turns around, incrementally moving further away, from him, away from them.

* * *

Within ten minutes, everyone is ready to go. Ric is the last to bring his stuff to his car. Caroline has not said a word to him. Everyone notices, and not everyone knows why. It's not like the atmosphere should be one of excitement, but an iota of comradery would help. Instead the three car parade moves out in silence with Stefan taking lead, Enzo next and Ric's car in last. Dzal's text pings when the caravan comes off the back roads of cottage country. Damon relays the info to the other two cars. They are using a group chat app because it was likely talk communication was going to be limited. And everyone was tight-lipped about something.

As strange as it may sound, Damon had made peace with the possibility of his life ending tonight. All that mattered was Bonnie. However if he should survive, he'd whisk Bonnie away, leaving Enzo to shriek after them. All alone, he would confess his love, kiss her and pray he'd burn in lust, not to a crisp. In fact, his only regret in life was not telling Bonnie how his dumbass truly felt. And a kiss. Maybe he could get the girl, no tricks played, one who picked him willing too. She wasn't shielding herself from him completely. Understandably angry, she's willing to try. Delighted in his new found prospects, chatting with Bonnie over their link, Damon lies back in the car seat hurtling to his possible death, with a slight grin.

When Bonnie mentioned Damon's life possibly coming to end tonight, Stefan didn't want to dwell on the thought. Now with the prospect no longer looming, he wanted them to run hard and fast. But Damon was being honorable, leading the charge to save Bonnie. He knew he would not be able to sway him on another course of action. Stefan checked three times to make sure salve he had been using to hide from Rayna was still on Damon's chest. His brother informed him he didn't need a mother hen. Despite everything, he loves his brother and was proud of him. Somehow they needed a way for everyone to survive the latests siege. He steals another look at his brother and was startled by his blissful daze. Now he's truly worried.

In the car behind, Enzo tries to engage Bonnie several times in one conversation or another. She's prepping for the meeting, so she engages intermittently. It feels like her withdrawal is happening one excruciating millimeter at a time. When she did speak, it was minimal and cryptic. At times he swore she was talking to someone other than him. She's sufficiently distracted, that she didn't notice the additional texts he was sending or her cell misbehaving. Alex was unhappy he had failed to figure out the location, but she did have the teams trailing an hour behind them, gaining steadily. He felt for the injector discreetly, accepting the coming sacrifice that would be made to Bonnie's trust in him. It should be temporary, once her fugue passes. Love hurts, and for once it would be for the better of her.

Bonnie is not being a good car companion at all. Enzo still wants to talk and she needs to get ready. She had explained to him when they first entered the car why she'd be preoccupied. It wasn't the whole truth, but that's not going to help matters. Plus she was doing what the A team does when facing down big trouble; she and Damon would strategize. Their counterparts would screw-up. The witch and the vamp would swoop in, saving the day. She would never admit it to Damon, but planning with him was enjoyable. He always came up with over the top plans. She would protest at the lunacy of it. She would try to arrange every detail, only to have the vamp point out the pitfalls of rigidity. They would fight, arguing to the point of being in each other face, but he respected her as an equal ally. As she continues to exchanges ideas with Damon on the link, she knew she had already forgiven him. There were still somethings to work out, and over time it she hoped her doubts would quiet. She wanted to believe that maybe he could pick her.

In the last car, Ric decides not endure Caroline's silence anymore.

"I know you're angry at me, but I don't want that. Not now. Can we call a truce?"

"Truce?" Caroline shakes her head in dismay. "Why can't you apologize? Huh? It's because you really meant what you said about Bonnie. Our girls are magical Alaric. Will you do this to them?"

"Our girls will not be like Bonnie. She does things she shouldn't."

"She does things that save us, over and over. I'm a vampire and I've done things I've shouldn't. What difference are you seeing that I'm not? She my best friend and I can't believe you're trying to dump on her like this. Actually, did you know that Valerie was dead?"

Ric takes a swift breath in, then slowly whispers, "I've lost every woman I've ever loved. Don't make me endure another. Events where Bonnie is integral, are usually epic, mostly world ending. People die. I'm trying to go more than half way here. Please I'm begging you to be reasonable. I can't lose you, I couldn't take that. "

He has to protect Caroline from herself as much as he can. And Bonnie is a huge magical problem. He doesn't hate her, but one should be respectfully terrified of the power she welds. His manipulation of Caroline shows the years he has on her. He hopes he sold the whole 'broken man with misplaced anger' to the tilt, all to deflect her from additional pointed questions about Valerie.

"I'm sorry Ric. I'm not going to die…" Caroline trails off as she realizes how crazy the statement she was about to complete was, considering her multiple close death encounters in her short life span. She wasn't trying to be selfish, but she was, and she felt even worse.

"Hey, I don't want you to be sad either. Just alive. I'm tired, worried, and little off kilter. I'll do what needs to be done. But please Caroline, I can't bury you." A reasonable silence descends on the car. She grabs his free hand, nestling her face into his palm. With that, a guilty truce is made.


	15. Chapter 14

So, where does the Mystic Falls caravan finally to a stop? An abandoned asylum, of course. It's in the middle of nowhere surrounded by its own small dense forest; surely a defensive mechanism to capture confused escaping patients. Opened in 1815, it closed in 1973, after a fire swept thru and killed over 80 patients and a portion of the staff. The few explorers that came were dedicated and brave. The building and any surface within was charred, but it stood surprisingly intact, except for an end wing that was wiped out.

Bonnie feels the unrest of the dead giving rise to a mental fog. Every spirit sees what she is, crowding around her for their voices to be heard. There's always something to fix or avenge in places like this. As helpful as she was, the world asks a lot of her. This time, she would take a page from Damon's book and be a little selfish. For once she will follow, instead of leading the charge, payment resolved by someone else. Once she and Rayna talked, she hopes they would find a mutual understanding and leverage it against the Armory. She's still uncomfortable being the one to be rescued, but the sensation of being care for on purpose, not as a by-product of someone else's survival, encourages her self-esteem. At the same time, omnipotent power prickles against her skin. She sends up a last prayer for the goddess to see them safely through and spare the blue eyed demon. It was now a question of if she was willing to admit honestly why to him.

Enzo knew places like these wreak havoc on a witch's senses. Bonnie won't see what's coming. He rounds the car to escort her and gives her hand a quick squeeze. He was going to make her so happy and complete.

Damon gets out of the car and looks up at the endless entry stairs to the colonial framed multi-room housing. The massive double doors are pitted by time. One hole was big enough for the gang to thread through. His cell pings again.

"Ok everyone let's do this." He waves the gang forward to their final destination.

Enzo needs to zero in on where inside they're going so the assault team can position themselves. They are trailing a few miles away. Thankfully, he has a sensible stall in mind.

"Wait a minute… where are we going? Shouldn't we at least try and flank huntress? Not attack, flank." Enzo suggest.

"I hate to say it, but Enzo has a point." Rick is happy not to be the first to protest. It wouldn't win him points with Caroline.

Damon wrestles with his first instinct to maim Enzo and Ric, but Bonnie sways softly on the link; explain, then tell them that it's either come or go, she offers cheekily. No bloodletting is tacked on. He smiles at her and for awhile sees no one else. She's giving him a chance. Its truly like old times, the dynamic duo rides again. He's lucky indeed. He turns to face the group

"I made a deal with Rayna, an accord with the shaman. Terms have been agreed to. We are not going in there with guns blazing. And do note, Rayna does have the right to kill me; don't get in her way." He looks straight at Bonnie. "Now either come or go. Were off to the rotunda." With that Damon turns his back on the group and heads through the hole in the door, only helping Bonnie in. Everyone else falls in line, except for Enzo. He sends the last detail to Alex, and then pops himself through the opening.

Damon wipes the slave off his chest, much to the chagrin of Stefan.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

"I want Rayna's focus on me, not Bonnie."

"I'm not comfortable with that." Bonnie murmurs. She's distracted with spell she reciting on the way in, leaving her concern for him to travel easily across their connection. He stops to turn to her, only to find Enzo, where Bonnie should be. He leans around him, to catch her attention.

"It will be fine Lil' bird. Let's get you some answers. That's okay with you Enzo?" Enzo ignores him, leaving himself between the ex-besties. Damon continues down the hall chuckling, searching for the dilapidated rotunda. The gang finally spots flickers of light, cast on a wall down the next corridor. They enter to find a tall man hidden under a hat in the center of a large room, under a long gone dome, held up by a series of jumbled sized columns. At his feet is a bowl with a small fire going. The Cordova style hat gets tipped up to allow everyone to see Senor Dzal at last.

"Senor Salvator?"

"That's me. So where's our special girl?" Damon steps forward, while blocking the frontal view of Bonnie just in case. He hoped Enzo could at least take care of anything coming from behind.

"Missed me already lover boy?" Rayna goads from the other side of the room, emerging from behind a column.

"I always have you close to my heart." He points to his mark.

"Damon Salvatore, you are a man of many surprises. Bennett witch, I'm glad you came." She takes a purposeful step towards Bonnie, triggering a low growl from Damon.

"Senorita and Senor, this is a ceasefire, blessed by the old gods. Before you go about killing each other, you could resolve the qualms put forth? " Senor Dzal waits for either party to protest. They don't. He then turns to address Bonnie. "Ms. Bennett, your part will be addressed once this ritual is done." He points to Damon and Rayna to come join him in the centre of the rotunda, by the bowl at his feet. "Let's begin."

Senor Dzal flicks his fingers at the bowl on the floor, and a fire springs up higher, tickling his finger tips. The orange embers of the fire slowly morph into a white hot flame. Dzal raises his hands to the heavens above thanking for old gods for their blessings. He asks for permission to enter their realm with Damon's offering and a humble request for guidance for Cruz. He dips both his hands in the fire, pulls out a flame out for each hand and imbues it into the two opposing foreheads, electrifying all three in place.

"Hey-" With the wave of her hand, Bonnie cuts Enzo's voice, and pulls them to the corner of the other side of the room. She waves her hand again to give his voice back.

"You can't interfere in a spell like that Enzo. It could get you killed." Bonnie whispers in hush tones.

"They went as still as statues. Not even a breath. This can't be right." His volume doesn't match that of Bonnie's.

"Shhh! I'm a witch, and I'm telling you to chill. There's nothing wrong."

"I thought the dead were still messing with your senses? I'm just looking out for you luv."

"The dead can be smothering, but this spell cuts through a lot of that. It's truly ancient magic he's weaving. So let's not anger the old gods."

Enzo has no choice, but nod in agreement. He's thrilled to know she doesn't want to see him hurt. What's maddening is she can say the same for Damon. He needs the assault teams here, right fucking now. He has no way to misdirect without it being recognized as traitorous. The team's leader was to send three texts in a row before they stormed the place, so Bonnie is out of harm's way. He brushes the outside pocket where the injector lies. He would use all the tricks. He can't let Bonnie talk to Rayna or it's all over for him. After all he's done, she will love him. Then blissfully his phone chimes three times.

* * *

The assault teams had two set of objectives. The second objective was poison Rayna, if possible, kill. The main objective was to capture the witch, Bonnie Bennett, with or without the vampire's help, and bring her to The Armoury immediately. It would be at the team leader's discretion to bring Enzo with them. It was imperative that the key piece was not left entirely within Enzo's care. No foolish risks, not a scratch or nick on the witch. The main priority was a clean extraction and everything else was dispatched if it should get in their way.

Thankfully the amulets had done their jobs. The team was able to sneak in close and verify the vamp had actually broken off from the main group with the witch; no supernatural was alerted to their presence. The team leader sent the signal to the vampire, giving him cover, guiding him and the witch down hall to a recovery team. Smoke cannons rapidly fill and divide the room. Afterwards, rapid fire suppresses the hostile side, dissuading anyone who would try to get the girl back.

* * *

Heated stings skim across Damon's shoulders. The visit with old gods has ends in a hail of bullets. He's standing in a thick choking smoke, with Rayna, barely hanging onto his shoulders, her head down. No shaman in sight.

"You need to get us out of here Damon. We're not done." she sputters.

"What…" His question dies when she lifts her head and blood oozes out her mouth. He's needs to find the shaman, his brother and most importantly Bonnie. "Bonnie? Stefan?" He ducks with Rayna when projectiles start to flying their way.

"Fretta, fretta." Damon knew if his brother was moved to use their mother's tongue, it was bad. He picks up Rayna and flashes over to Stefan, who has Senor Dzal, with his hat on, behind a large pillar. Thankfully his brother had enough forethought to protect him. "We need to move fast. They've got numbers."

"It has to be the Armory. Where's Bonnie?" Damon says this with dead seriousness that urges Stefan answer without delay.

"She got out a side door with Enzo. I've got door here with no one on the other side."

"Not totally useless. I've got a shot up huntress. What you got Dzal?"

"I can cloak us."

"Let's run." Damon commands.

Bullets mar the front of the pillar they're hiding behind. At the breaking of the wooden door, automatic fire follows the noise. The vampires run hard with their charges till they find a door leading outside. Damon listen, sniffs and finds no one is there. They bolt through, into the thick forest. Damon haphazardly places Rayna on first piece of flat ground he trips on. He watches the shaman attend to her perforated bloody form. Senor Dzal leans close so she doesn't have to strain herself to speak. Damon kneels beside them, as Stefan watches from the sidelines.

"Child, what have they done to you?" The shaman questions her.

"Poison… no matter, my tribal leaders and I know what to do, so waste no more time. Can you finish the tribute?"

"I can child. Get ready Senor Salvatore." Dzal puts his hand on Damon's mark before he can acknowledge. "Senor Salvatore, the tribute must be completed. I can assure you, you're not going to die," The shaman puts his other hand on Rayna. "It will just feel like you are, the hard way." The blinding pain takes over and fills every crevice in Damon, no chance to eke out a sound. Just one thing remains: Bonnie.

* * *

Despite what many may think, Bonnie has a healthy dose of paranoia. She knew great care had been take to have this meeting, but this group's luck never holds. So she cast a simple spell to detect any new presence within a 50 feet of the perimeter. But instead of an early alert buffer, smoke grenades scream through the air to disorient them. Enzo puts her in a bear hug, dragging her further away, as she struggles to reach the main group. The last she saw, Care and Ric were crashing the nearest door, while Stefan dived towards the trio in centre, lost in the dense smoke. She lost all sense of Damon the moment he went into the trance. She's desperate to find him.

Enzo is thankful they were separated from the group before the attack began. He flashes them down the hall and ducks into an empty room, giving them a second to breath. The assault team left him a clear path to manoeuvre Bonnie to the bosom of the Armoury strong hold. Silly girl wants to go back and shield her 'friends'. She can't seem to help herself. This addiction needs to stop right now. He can hear the team coming down the hall.

"It's going to be okay my luv. Our life can begin now." He gets out the injector, re-positioning himself behind her.

Bonnie can't understand how Enzo pulled them out so fast, the smoothest slip ever. She gets her safety was the point, she hopes the others are ok, but its counter to their luck. She knows it's the Armoury that has surrounded them. How did they even find them? Why hadn't her spell worked? What is Enzo going on about? She has a sinking feeling just before the prick in her neck and her world goes dark.

* * *

Lucy needs food. Esha wants food. Nori could use a drink. They needed to take a break in order to keep up the rapid pace they were commanding. The dive bar they found serves food. They take a booth way in the back, hiding from prying eyes. It wasn't going to be a problem as the place is beyond dead. The waiter/cook had just left them to their orders. A simple pit stop? Noooope. Their witches.

The sisters feel the tug, like a thistle needle hooked under the skin, off putting and tender. Then an attempt to brutally tear the newly tendered connections to Bonnie, pulling from the middle of their craniums. The sisters flop and bang about in the booth, rattling enough to drum the dead to wake. Lucy watches gaped mouth as these two immortals clearly have a magical meltdown. Where Nori is seated, the booth cracks and yawns from unseen forces, expanding and contracting, the whiskey in her hand sloshes in slow motion. Esha braces herself against the table, her food disintegrates, melts through the dish, then through the table. The drink next to her evaporate into a sulfuric smoke. Burning coils around their bones, readies to pulverize. Then it all stops. Lucy throws up a glamour spell so all looks normal.

Esha is in shock. Someone has bluntly attacked Bonnie's magic, muffling the mystical core of their little sister. She's alive, just muted? At least Lucy looks no worse for wear, only scared. She did not experience it first hand, but she got a nasty jist of it. It's not good. While Esha's anger comes and goes, Nori's anger is continuous fire devil, ready to lash out at any moment. It took a lot for her big sister to get her emotions in check. An episode like this could push her the wrong way. She forces herself to take a peek at Nori, to see steam wafting off her body. Her drink is still clutch in her hand.

"Are you guys ok?" Lucy waits for someone to respond. Its Esha.

"We're ok. Did you get hurt?" Lucy shakes her head 'no'. Esha looks at her sister. "Nori? Sister, are you good? NORI, say something!"

Nori lets go of her glass midair, it fragmentizes into a millions pieces , tinkling through the hole in the table. No drink? Fuck that. "We go to Mystic fucking Falls now! If you need anything from the car, get it."

Lucy is confused. "Ah, don't we need the car to get there?"

"Are you sure about this Nori? It takes a lot out of you. I have no idea where the nearest lay line is for you to recharge."

"At Shelia Bennett's house. Bonnie gave me a key. And what do you mean recharge? From what?" Lucy queries to Esha.

The waiter/cook comes crashing out from the back covered in food products, bolting out the front door screaming in repeat 'earthquake'.

"Teleporting." Nori professes as a sadistic smile blooms across her face.


	16. Chapter 15

Bonnie's droopy eyes won't open. The band on her index singes, helping her heavy lids to open. Trying to look for the flame on her finger, she flops her head to the side. Why is she covered and in bed? Who's bed? Any vitality she possess is used to pull herself up in low slung seated position. Minutes pass till she recovers enough to will her hand on top of the covers. She concentrates to remove the ring and finds no magic. Again and again she tries and nothing sparks. There's a night table with a candle. She zeros in on the wick, but no flame comes. What the hell is happening to her?

"Bonnie?"

Its Enzo's voice. Enzo's voice repose at the current situation. Enzo's voice was the last thing she remembered at the asylum… and a set military boots? Gurgling acid sloshes at the pit of her stomach. Panic musters the rest of her strength, backing her away from his voice. She slides herself off the headboard, lands on the floor and backs into a wall. Enzo betrayed her! He's in front of her, trying to touch her. She swats him as best she could for all of a second, before he pins her hands above her head. Her tiny drugged legs won't kick.

"Stop Bonnie." She does as she's told. "I know you're confused, but I'm going to take care of you. I love you." He releases her hands and they stay put, as his hands run down her arms to cradle her face. She sees a similar ring to hers mounted on his ring finger. He sees her notice it. "I'll get to that in a second. I had to give you a sedative at the asylum before you got yourself killed again. You scared me luv and I won't lose you. I'm protecting you, even if it's the unpopular choice. You love me and I want to be completely open with you from this point on, you're part of the family now. Listen, we're at the Armory, but you have no worries here because my cousin, Alex St. John, is the leader. She needs your help to open a vault and I know you can handle it. It's an opportunity to bring honour to the family and change the course of the world as we start our lives together. We'll be magical royalty "

He reaches up and brings down her arms, intertwining the ringed hands. He brings rings into both of their views. He kisses her hands and steals another kiss from her lips. Bonnie feels the bile roll in her stomach as her soul bucks against the ring's hold.

"These are mating rings, my luv. It'll help your disposition, you'll see. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for us. I know you would have been more reasonable if Damon didn't come back." He huffs. "He's using you. I won't let him do that to you. He loves Elena. Say it."

"He loves Elena." Bonnie drones.

"Say you love me Bon." She does. Enzo drools on. She only reacts when given instruction to, subconsciously plotting ways to get out. Enzo will learn why you don't cross a witch. He is delusional as fuck and is family with the Armory. She'll waste no time mourning the relationship's end. She'll never give him what he wants.

Alex watches the 'lovers' from the door, remembering a couple of years ago when they tried with another Bennett to open the vault. Needless to say it didn't work. Until the seepage from the doorway was discovered after the failed event. The foundation's scientists got to work experimenting. Earlier in the year, thanks to Mr. Saltzman, the team snagged a female heretic for testing. She was used for trails till she expired. From that, the team synthesized a serum that they could use against anyone magical; the limited serum was employed against Rayna and Bonnie at the raid. The injector she'd given Enzo wasn't as benign as it seemed.

Alex will never mention how the serum can weaken and suppress the magical core, possibly inducing poisonous reactions, possibly death. She wished she could've seen the results of the seepage tips bullets that were loaded into the Huntress during the extraction. If Bonnie survived the side effects, it would help scientists with the development of a better formulation. All that was left was for the mating ring to take effect. It was a question of when the Bennett spirit would submit fully to the ring's rule. Once that occurred the witch and her magic could be supervised by Alex's desires. Right now the magic was being tempered with the serum. The stubborn witch must be broken and the vault ritual was the perfect task for that. As for Enzo, he'd served his purpose, becoming a risk with his fantasies of ascending to royal couple-dom. She would send him to his father. She alone would control of all the power. She alone would rule.

* * *

 _When her mama left, Bonnie had a unique reaction, as small kids do, when a parent departs, to never come back. She got it into her head to float off the top of her mother's meager greenhouse in the family's backyard. For several days she tries to outwit her father and babysitters, to mount the top of mama's weather vane. She soon depletes the rooster of sitters available, leaving no one to take her on. Since her father is often not there, it makes it easy to relent on his 'NO Grams' rule, and allowing Shelia Bennett take care of Bonnie when she becomes too excitable for anyone to handle._

 _Shelia came into the backyard one night to find her grandbaby on the greenhouse roof. Her son-in-law had failed to book a babysitter. Bonnie was left on her own till her grams could arrive. When she did, her grandbaby wanted to show her wholeheartedly that she was special._

" _Look Grams. Look." Bitty Bonnie flaps her twiggy arms, fingers fluttering, toeing the edge._

" _Wait Baby B. Wait – You floating or are you flying?"_

" _Floating," Bonnie cheers, "Watch please." the little girl pleads._

" _Okay Baby B. I'm right here."_

 _Little Bonnie knows something inside her wants to burst forth. She takes a breath and leaps. The air speeds past her face streaming her spirals behind her, the ground comes in fast. Bonnie wonders if it will hurt much. She tries again to will the speck deep inside her to shine, for a couple of seconds, to show her merit. Then it all stops. There's no splat or crunch, for a couple of seconds, she hovers._

" _Grams!" Bonnie squeals. It's all the distraction she needs to fall flat on her face._

" _You okay Baby B?" Gram helps her up, but Bonnie's eyes never leaving the sky as she's dusted off. "It's okay you know. With practice you'll do better."_

" _Will you tell Mama? She can come home now." Mama and Daddy fight, but they would be together as a family. Little Bonnie had done good, but she could be better._

" _Oh Baby B," Grams coos, "Your mama isn't coming back."_

" _Yes she will. You'll see." Bonnie replies with confidence of youth._

 _She practice harder, occupying most of her time in the greenhouse. She gives it her best, saying prays for all she would surrender if her mama returns. After a couple months with no news from her mother, Bonnie's anxiety grows. When almost a year of absence pass, little Bonnie burst one afternoon. The idea that she didn't matter rooted her in front of the greenhouse. Numbness took her to her knees, while grey clouds opened up and spilled rejection upon her. Her grandmother found her later soaked in ruin._

" _It's fine Baby B. You can try another day." Grams tries to soothe her, but the childish innocence is gone. Bonnie moves on after that day. She never visits greenhouse again, her magic becoming dormant._

Bonnie didn't practice magic again till two love struck vampires strolled into town. That stubbornness she harnessed would aid her, she wouldn't accept this. Whatever insanity Enzo has cooked up for this unshared romance, she'll never surrender willing. Her magic is being affected by the injection, resulting in only a temporary paralysis she hopes. The ring controlled her physically with promises to touch her consciousness later. For now, she's forced to play 'Enzo says'. She kisses him back with his encouragement only.

He picks her off the floor and deposits her back on the bed. He's turned away when a raven flies by the window, causing her heart to beat faster. Enzo tells her not to worry because they will start soon and she will see its all fine.

Bonnie wants to laugh in his face. She thought the loneliness was just because of betrayal, but its the missing link to Damon that an assiduous aches. But its the suffering charges her not yield. She misses her misguide crow and will do anything to get back to him.

* * *

Damon wakes in his brother's lap. He's alive and drained. Stefan smile in relief at his brother's return.

"Senor Dzal says you'll be fine."

"Rayna?" Damon croaks.

"Buried, Senor Salvator," Dzal states, "and at peace. Save your strength, you're gonna need it. I know you have questions. I'm hoping some history clears up the mysteries of tonight. Do you remember any of your time with the old ones?" Damon shakes his head no to the shaman's inquiry. "They were moved by your tribute for Rayna and intrigued with your desire to protect Ms. Bennett. She needs protection, and it's not from the Armoury she needs it from. An ancient evil from a time before is being ushered in by those fools. That's why the old gods saw good fortune in helping you." He helps Stefan to sit Damon up, and continues on with the history lesson.

"Now do you know how Rayna came to be?" Damon nods yes. "Losing that many shamans for one spell had long rippling effect on other tribes. It was later in 1882, Dalton St. John, head of the Armoury, became cursed from a tomb, under the land he claimed for the Armory's stronghold. An entity possessed him. After slaughtering most of his membership, it pointed him to the local tribe, which warned of the evil of the tomb. However, Mr. St. John came upon a lone tribe priestess make offerings under the new moon, a special one. Its believed she was meticulous torn apart, allowing the valley to funnel every agonizing sound as she died. No one could pinpoint her screams and pleas as he ravished her all night. In the morning pools of her blood, and a partial right arm that boar a disfigurement she been born with, were discovered. The rest of the body was never found."

"The tribe was not alone in mourning the magical girl's death. When news reached the murdered girl's best friend Star, the heartbroken slave, an unknown witch, could not be consoled. Nature had given the slave girl a companion to practice magic with, an ally and a friend. Now alone, she swore revenge above everything else, hunting down Dalton St. John nights later near the tomb. He laughed at her pain, enraging her further. She drove him back fueled by grief, sealing him and the entity within the tomb. Her magic was depleted." The old man lets out an exasperated sigh before he continues on.

"She saved mankind and for her troubles the settlers burned her to death as example to other slaves who might think to run off. A great debt was owed to Star Bennett. The old gods saw it appropriate to bestowed to you Damon, protectors of the Bennetts, with la esencia de la Buluc Chabtan. It's a power boost per say. Your abilities are heightened like an Originals, it's just harder for you to die, but you still can die. You need to find Ms. Bennett. Here, chew on this; it will get you upright and moving. I fear time is not on your side."

Damon does as he's told and eats the purple leaves being offered by the shaman. He feels he energy pick up slowly. What not coming to him is Bonnie. He feels nothing of her. The link is cold. Panic sets in. He's about to tell Stefan they need to find out what has happened, but his cell rings. Its Care in panic. She's speaking way too fast. The brothers zoom back to where their cars are parked, leaving Senor Dzal to himself.

Bonnie's not answering her cell. She's not standing with Care and Ric, when Damon gets to the cars. He doesn't see Enzo either. He does see all the cars' tires slashed to ribbons. One thing screams clearly at him is that Bonnie is not there, and is likely in danger.

"Oh god, Stefan… Damon, I'm sorry, I'm sorry….The Armory got Bonnie, maybe Enzo. Where's Rayna?" Care hoped that the huntress could be of use to get Bonnie back.

"So the update is Rayna is dead, no Enzo and Bonnie has been kidnapped. Is the Armory still the good guys Ric?" Damon screams "If you had anything to do with this Saltzman, I'll drain you." Alaric has enough shame to hang his head low.

"Wait Damon, can't you feel her?" Care inquires.

"No."

If Caroline had not been a vampire she would not of heard his quiet shame laced response. Care had gotten Ric and herself out of the main attack with minor bruises. Making it to the forest line, they made a wide circle back to the cars. The assault teams was already there destroying their rides and loading into three Lincoln Navigators. Care suddenly smelled Bonnie. She was looking around from her hidden vantage point, when the assault teams closed the car doors and started to roll out. Bonnie smell was also leaving. That's when she realized she failed her best friend again.

What they needed was transportation to hunt the bastards down, but they also need to recover. The group is forced start to walk. Thankfully it last only twenty minutes, as a clunking engine approaches from behind. Two beams from a blue farmer's truck, highlights the beleaguered group. Senor Dzal winds down the driver side window. "Need a ride?" Damon is the first in, taking a seat in the bed of the truck. Stefan joins him. Caroline and Ric take seats in the cab. The shaman lets them know he will get them close, but he must go to Mystic Falls. He doesn't speak further of the other role he must help another to fulfilled.

* * *

In the pickup bed, Damon is balefully silent. He's been immobile for hours. A tantrum would have been preferable for Stefan. And what the hell was Care talking about 'feel her'? Dawn creeps across his brother's face, revealing a stoic homicidal vampire, that puts a Ripper to shame. It also activates Damon to talk.

"I was lucky… mostly lazy as the Bennett protector. Now I get special skills like a superhero, and I still can't get my shit together. I was Bonnie's best protection and like a fool, I left her. I have to make this up to her. I need her to know… anyways, I'm going to try to sleep. Maybe I'll find her in our dreamworld. Don't wake me." Damon leans against the cab and squeezes his eyes shut.

Stefan is unsure how to take in what his brother said. He gets the guilt, but he's not sure about sleeping. When Damon does depression, it's out loud and in everyone's face. He's not known to hide under a blanket and only come up for ice cream. His brother is a doer. He needs to ask Senor Dzal about the side effects with the ritual performed. Maybe he has brain damage.

By midday, Senor Dzal pulls into a gas station and excuses himself to get some refreshment. Mystic Falls is an hour away. The brothers go to compel the mechanic for a fast car to continue their chase. Caroline has sat quiet with Ric the entire ride, but the fork in the road has come.

"You're not coming are you?" Caroline concludes before Ric wasted his breath.

"Caroline, we should be with the girls. If the Armory is a threat then we should be protecting them and taking more precautions."

"Stop saying 'if', Ric. It's them. You go stay with the girls. I'm going to get Bonnie back." She's not entirely disappointed because the safety of the girls is important. Ric is being a horrible friend, but a good father. She won't drag this out. "Tell the girls I miss them and I'll be back soon."

Senor Dzal shakes everyone's hands except Ric; he'll take him back to Mystic Falls. The shaman gives the departing group a last blessings. Ric watches the vampires peel out and speed towards the Armory. The farm truck starts up and goes the opposite way. The shaman turns to him, giving a small sad smile. Great, a pity party, Ric thinks.

"Relationships go through rough patches." He tries to sell his platitude, but it comes out flat.

"I'm sorry my friend. I do not think things will work out for you." The shaman wished he had better news for man with so much sorrow.

"This family will survive. We got this far." Ric won't let his family bonds be so easily dismissed.

The shaman gives no reply. He wouldn't add weight to this man's shoulders. He would drive him to his undeniable destiny.


End file.
